DEREK WELTON

Derek Welton’s music career has well and truly taken off, having secured a fixed contract with one of the major German opera houses starting in September 2015.

Derek is the first to admit that it was his rigorous training in musicianship that gave him an advantage in the classical music industry, “especially,” he reflects, “compared to those who came to music later in life and didn't have the sort of training one gets from organisations like the ABC”.

Derek began with the Choir in 1992 where the training fostered and developed his love for music, preparing him with the skills to master different musical styles, from Baroque to modern pieces.

“Unlike many of my colleagues, I didn't do an undergraduate degree in music.” First beginning a law degree, Derek completed a BA in Linguistics and German before moving to the UK in 2006 to attend the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he completed two Master’s degrees. Because of his ABC training he never once felt behind in his studies. Derek now works as a freelance singer, primarily in opera, and his work takes him all over the world. “Last year I worked in eight different countries and this year it will be seven. The travel is both exciting and tiring.”

And his workload does not appear to be slowing. In August Derek will visit Australia to sing the bass solos in the Bach Mass in B minor with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Another visit is planned in 2015 for an appearance with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Despite a successful international music career, Derek still finds aid in the basics of his early music training with the Choir. “Every now and then colleagues see the many markings in my music scores and ask what the letters above the notes are! I still write solfege symbols in my scores sometimes so I can orient myself quickly with the key relationships and modulations when learning new music.”

The important things, it seems, never leave you.