Derek Gleeson

Born in Dublin, Ireland, (a U.S./Irish dual citizen.), Derek Gleeson studied piano, percussion, composition and conducting at the music conservatories of Dublin, London and Vienna, and film scoring at the University of California, Los Angeles.  By the age of 11, Gleeson was the recipient of many piano and percussion competition prizes within Ireland and Great Britain.  At the age of 15 he represented Ireland as an orchestral musician in the European Community Youth Orchestra, where he had the opportunity to perform at the great European music festivals, such as Salzburg, Edinburgh and Lucerne Festivals under Maestros Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, Sir George Solti and others.  These early experiences moved him specifically toward a career in conducting.  In 1984 he