Derek J. Wright

Derek J. Wright is an expressive, creative, hard-working, tenacious, and tech-savvy hornist. He has performed with the Phoenix Symphony, the Dallas Wind Symphony, the Plano Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Festival of Modern Music, the Musica Nova Orchestra of Scottsdale, AZ, and multiple other organizations. In 2011 Derek was selected as a semi-finalist with the prestigious New World Symphony in Miami Beach, FL. As a knowledgeable teacher, Derek has maintained a private studio of horn students since 2005.

A neighborhood called Morgan Park on the Far South Side of Chicago is where Derek was raised. He began his musical studies at the age of 9 as a saxophone player. However, he realized his initial error and at the age of 15 he switched to horn. Soon after his love for music grew and he realized that making it was what he wanted to do for a living.

Derek has studied with William VerMeulen, John Ericson, Gabriel Kovach, Daniel Katzen, Herbert Winslow, Michael Gast, and Kazimierz Machala. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Arizona State University, a Master of Music degree from the University of Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois.

Dallas, TX is the city Derek currently calls home.