Working with several composers over the last few years, Derek has built up an impressive portfolio of songs, musicals, mini-operas and other musical pieces.

The first of these was Indigestion, a site-specific and immersive musical, written with composer Michael Betteridge. Set in a working restaurant, the audience and cast enjoy a meal together. Gradually, the characters are revealed and throughout the meal, their lives and stories are explored.

Indigestion premiered at Nexus Art Café, Manchester in the Not Part Of… festival in July 2011. It was produced by New Space productions and directed by Eleanor Craddock. Later, it was given a concert performance by students at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM). The musical was revived in 2013 and performed at Bistro 1847, Manchester, and as part of the Tête à Tête Opera Festival, in the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith. You can see a video of this production – which Derek also directed – here:

Another immersive, site-specific musical – There And Back Again – was commissioned for the Lost and Found Festival in 2012. Performed on a tram journey from Piccadilly Station to Media City and back again, it told the story of a young couple in love but was also a celebration of neighbouring cities Manchester and Salford.

You can hear one of the songs, rearranged for a ladies choir here

Other songs, by the original cast can be heard on Michael’s Sound Cloud page, along with many other pieces from this very talented, emerging composer.

Other work by Betteridge and Martin includes:

  • A Cat Called Bat – a cantata written for and performed by primary school children from Rochdale which premiered at the RNCM. You can hear an extract from that performance here:
  • Waiting For Friends – originally composed for Brodsky (March 2012) by Collectives and Curiosities. It has subsequently been performed as a concert piece.
  • You Can’t Do That – work-in-progress. This is a musical being written specifically for young performers. This show is planned to premiere in 2017; there will be a production in Manchester with as many simultaneous productions around the UK as possible. Here you can see a promotional video (produced by Greek Bloke Productions) about this project.

Derek wrote a mini-opera – The Library - with composer Lucy Armstrong. This was premiered by Size Zero opera company at the RNCM in 2014.

Following on from this, Armstrong and Martin wrote Cheese!, a choral piece which premiered at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester in 2015.

Derek continues to collaborate with Lucy.

Other musical work by Derek includes:

  • Those Eyes, a mini-opera written with composer Nelson Bohorquez.
  • Secrets, a musical set in Bletchley Park, written with composer Rachael Hall.
  • Degenerate (work-in-progress), a musical being written with composer Jacob Dorfman.