Reuben Derrick
Reuben grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he works as a saxophonist, clarinettist, sonic artist and composer, active in New Zealand and Australian exploratory music communities. In addition to reeds he plays keyboards and found objects. His influences are eclectic. His doctoral dissertation ‘Acoustic illuminations: recorded space as soundscape composition’ (2014) draws upon field recording and improvisation. This work featured locations in New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka. His soundscape works have been awarded the Lilburn Prize for Composition three times. Ongoing projects include punk-jazz collective 'Poltroon', sound design and music with Rory Dalley, for Free Theatre (recently Alice, The Black Rider and Frankenstein) , as well as multi-disciplinary collaborations with dance (Movement Art Practice and Kyungmi Kim), sculpture, circo-arts, poetry and film. In 2016 Reuben played in the Music Matters Festival in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In 2015 he was awarded a fellowship to the Music Omi residency in New York, where he collaborated with 13 creative musicians from around the world. In 2009 he visited Sri Lanka for collaboration between traditional ritual artists and western improvisers, from which the group ‘Baliphonics’ was formed. In 2007/08 he toured NZ and recorded with The Crust, a trio performing original arrangements of music by Steve Lacy (with Sum Suraweera and Greg Malcolm). In 2007 his commissioned work for jazz ensemble and pipe organ was performed in the Christchurch Cathedral. Reuben has embraced an exploratory focus, performing collaboratively and solo at music festivals and concert series such as the Now Now, Bomb the Space, and Fredstock. Highlight encounters include Shoji Hano, Franzisca Baumann, Kris Wanders, Misha Marks, Susan Alcorn, Clayton Thomas, Jeff Henderson, Daniel Weltlinger, Matt Earle, Adam Sussmann, Irene Kepl, Adrian Klumpes, Mike Nock, Roger Mannins, John Rae, Jaap Blonk, Richard Nunns, IRD, Peter Broetzmann, Rod Cooper and Karl Ludwig Hubsch.