Reuben Derrick is an Aotearoa based saxophonist, clarinettist and composer, whose eclectic work encompasses ensembles, solo performance, soundscape composition, and multi-disciplinary collaboration with taonga pūoro, theatre, poetry, and dance. During the past 10 years he has worked regularly in Aotearoa, Australia, Sri Lanka and Europe.
In 2025 he was awarded a Creative New Zealand Artist Fellowship for artist residencies in Sri Lanka and Slovenia. He was also commissioned as a soloist by composer Alex van den Broek for a NZSO/SOUNZ recording of his work “To The Silent Abyss”. A collaborative soundscape work with multimedia artist Ivan Mršić was featured in the “Frankensonics.2” exhibition at the Audio Foundation. In 2019 he appeared as a member of Sri Lankan ritual drum and dance fusion ensemble “Baliphonics” in collaboration with the Australian Art Orchestra
In 2015 he was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to attend the Music Omi residency (New York) to collaborate with 13 musicians from around the world. His Doctor of Musical Arts research “Acoustic Illuminations: recorded space as soundscape composition” (awarded by the University of Canterbury, 2014, on a full scholarship) focusses on field recording and improvisation. Such soundscape works appeared in the “sonic.land” web exhibition and in the Pyramid Club (Wellington) archives, and his ocean soundscape work “Poranui” was acquired by the SIAL collection at RMIT.
He regularly hosts international artists, and produces and curates concerts, festivals and collaboration of adventurous music. He has tutored saxophone and composition students at the University of Canterbury.
