Teaches in Denver, CO

From Boulder, Colorado

Plays and Piano

About

Derek Sharman is a pianist, pedagogue, perennial percussionist, and posing polymath. Both an experienced soloist and an avid collaborator, he tries to do things classical pianists don't normally do, with varying degrees of success.

Like many pianists, Sharman plays a lot of Romantic music, with a special affinity for Schubert and Brahms. However, he seeks opportunities to learn lesser-known music, including works by underplayed composers new and old, film and video game music, and ragtime. He has premiered pieces by living composers, including Drake Rutherford’s ragtime Piano Concerto, and has arranged John Williams's Imperial March for advanced piano solo.

Probably happiest when sharing the stage with others, Sharman has performed chamber music with winds, strings, and percussion. Currently the Principal Pianist of the Dad Village Symphony Orchestra, he has also played piano and percussion in bands, orchestras, musical pits, and percussion ensembles.

Sharman holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance, with minors in German Studies and Spanish, from CU Boulder. His teachers include David Korevaar in solo piano, Alejandro Cremaschi in piano pedagogy, and Douglas Walter in percussion. In 2022, Sharman became Assistant Director of the Boulder Bach Festival.

When Sharman does have free time, he spends a lot of it looking up fancy electric and hybrid cars on the internet. He also hikes, reads, and dabbles in ill-advised tinkering.