Derek Zhao
Derek Zhao
Genres: new age, film score
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About Derek Zhao
A classically trained musician and young composer of rapidly increasing respect, Derek Zhao's compositions cannot be classified by genre. He has provided music for over 40 short films, as well as television shows, commercials, and promotional videos, winning several awards for his work at independent film festivals in the Los Angeles area. Derek Zhao was born in Sichuan, China, immigrating to the United States with his parents when he was a year old. After spending a few years in Denver, Derek and his family planted roots just outside of Houston, Texas. While in school, he studied violin with the former concertmaster of the Beijing Philharmonic, Bingsun Yang. Derek was valedictorian of his graduating class at Klein Oak High School, going on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California with an emphasis in recording and composition. It was at USC where Derek first found himself in demand as a film composer. Influenced by everything from the steroid-enhanced scores of Hans Zimmer to Thomas Newmans quirky minimalistic soundscapes to Jerry Goldsmiths sweeping symphonic masterpieces, student directors loved how easily he combines orchestral and electronic elements, effortlessly weaving in and out of classical, techno, pop, new age, ethnic, and various other styles. USC-based Trojan Vision TV8 still uses themes Derek has written for a number of its television programs, and national corporations are developing a special taste for Derek's unique compositional skills, his music having been used by Hewlett-Packard, American Apparel, and Digitells in their commercials and promotional videos. While studying at USC, Derek was blessed with the opportunity of having the Oscar-nominated composer and songwriter, Randy Newman, as his mentor. Since then, Derek has worked as an assistant to Mr. Newman on Disney's The Princess and the Frog and Toy Story 3. Although Derek is best known for his film scores, he is also an engineer, producer, and classical composer. Derek mixes and masters his own scores, and his classical compositions have been premiered at downtown Houston's Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, performed by members of the Houston Grand Opera and Houston Symphony, and choreographed to by the Houston Ballet II. Dereks latest project is a compilation album entitled Ideation, which features the works he has composed over the past three years for various films, commercials, and promotional videos. "I did it because I had to, because I never felt comfortable with the notion of these pieces sitting in the black hole of my hard drive," he says of the CD, now available on CD Baby, iTunes, and Amazon. Dereks familiarity with music from the three lenses of composer, engineer, and producer puts him in a unique position to explore exciting possibilities, and armed with an extraordinary work ethic and creative impulse, Derek is ready to do just that.
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