Science is my first love but music is a close second.

I started taking piano lessons when I was either 6 or 7 and absolutely loved it. But formal piano lessons (with the same teacher for that entire time) ended when I graduated from High School (2003) and I continued my practice and study independently since then. Pretty much everything I know about music theory and composition is self-taught.

I particularly identify with Classical music (Beethoven and Liszt are two of my favorites to play) but have eclectic musical tastes that include anything from classic and indie rock to Broadway musicals.

And as many pianists do, I often experiment and improvise and eventually began notating some of those random musical fragments and ideas.

However, as of September 2014, I’ve officially joined a group of NYC-based composers known as the Composers’ Collective: http://www.composerscollective.org/

We are a diverse group of aspiring composers with a eclectic range of musical experience and backgrounds. Every semester we put on 1-2 concerts: we choose an ensemble, every composer writes a piece for that ensemble, and then the ensemble performs our pieces.

I compose because I enjoy it and hope to continue to mature and write as far as it takes me.

Sample some of solo piano performance and original compositions:

SoundCloud stream: https://soundcloud.com/derek-simon-9

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0jxeYaniklbKGivmw5xo8A