Derek was born and raised in the town of Sudbury, Ontario where he maintains deep roots of family and friendship. Always having a knack for the arts from a very young age, his life-long musical experience stems from an early fascination with the piano.
History & Experience
After graduating from secondary school, Derek moved onwards to the city of Toronto where he pursued Classical and Jazz foundations at Humber College. From there, he began working his way into teaching through private lessons, where he found a flair for instruction and the ability to quickly build rapport with his students.
Since then, Derek has cemented his reputation for being able to inspire, engage, and effectively tutor pupils of all ages and skill levels.
Style & Inspiration
Derek draws great inspiration from the music of Frédéric Chopin and the Romantic period of classical music, as well as the study of counterpoint across the musical eras, from the baroque Johann Sebastian Bach through the more modern Dmitri Shostakovich.
Instruments
Over the years, Derek has explored a variety of musical instruments, spending time in his early youth playing the Soprano Saxophone and the Concert Flute, but always returning to the Piano throughout the many years that he has been engaged with music.
Of course, love for the piano has never been able to stop Derek from continuing to seek out new and different varieties of instruments, which includes more recent adventures into the Concert Recorder, Classical Guitar, and even more ‘outside’ instruments like the Ocarina.
In past few years, with the acquisition of new MIDI hardware and professional software, Derek has been able to freely experiment within the realm of synthesized sound, hopeful in creating new and exciting pieces full of electronic instruments, and to set the stage for something greater…
Derek Bunyak 