Darren Duerden

PRESENTATION POSITION

Professor of Music – Instrumental Music Coordinator (Percussion)
Brigham Young University–Hawaii 2000 - present
Rank: Professor - Continuing Faculty Status - 2004
Music Program Lead, 2019 - present

EDUCATION

D.M. Florida State University, 1997
Major: Percussion Performance

M.M. Florida State University, 1994
Major: Percussion Performance

B.M. Brigham Young University, 1989
Major: Music Education.

CERTIFICATES

Certificate in World Music, Florida State University, 1995

Teaching Certificate, Instrumental music (K-12), State of Utah, 1989

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Instrumental Music Coordinator/Percussion Professor
Brigham Young University–Hawaii, 2000-present

Assistant Director of Bands/ Percussion Instructor, Holmes Community College,
(Goodman, Mississippi), 1998-2000

Assistant Professor of Percussion, Mississippi Valley State University
(Itta Bena, Mississippi), 1997-1998

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Florida State University, 1992-1997

Instrumental Music Teacher, Kearns High School (Salt Lake City, Utah), 1989-1992

COURSES TAUGHT

Brigham Young University–Hawaii

Salsa Orchestra • Shaka Steel • Music History I (antiquity-1750) • Intro to World Music • Music Appreciation • Jazz Ensemble • Applied Percussion • Percussion Ensemble • Percussion Methods • Polynesian Drum Ensemble • World Communities • Computer Music Technology

Holmes Community College

Marching Band (Drum line) • Applied Percussion • Percussion Ensemble • Steel Band • Music History • Music Appreciation

Mississippi Valley State University

Applied Percussion • Instrumental Conducting • Percussion Ensemble • Steel Band • Percussion Methods • Music History

Florida State University

Applied Percussion • Percussion Ensemble • Steel Band • Percussion Methods

Kearns High School

Marching Band/Concert Band • Orchestra • Jazz Ensemble • Percussion Ensemble • Class Guitar • Music Theory

OTHER TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Freelance Clinician and Adjudicator

Concert Bands, Jazz Ensembles, & Percussion Ensembles in Hawaii, the Mountain West, and the Southeastern U.S. 1992-present

Hawaii Allstate High School Jazz Band - 2005

Adjunct Percussion Instructor, Gulf Coast Community College (Panama City, FL) 1995-97

Instructor of World Music, College Music Society 1995 Summer Workshop
 

Director

• Once on This Island - BYUH March, 2024
• 4th Avenue Pan Players - steel band I founded in Tallahassee, FL 1995-1997
• Sunset Steel, a professional steel band in North Florida, 1992-1997.
• Leon High School Steel Band, asst. director (Tallahassee, Florida)1992-1997
• Cairo High School Drum Line (Cairo, Georgia), 1996
• Leon High School Percussion Ensemble, 1995
• Suwannee High School Percussion Ensemble (Live Oak, Florida), 1994
• Steele Appeal - Utah’s first professional steel band, 1989-1992

PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE

Honolulu Symphony Orchestra - 

Extra percussionist, 2001-present

Hawaii Opera Theatre – Percussionist, 2010-present

Maui Symphony Pops Orchestra Principal Timpanist, 2002 -2018

Freelance drummer/percussionist, 1985-present

ACDA Hawaii State Honor Choirs, 2010-present 

OTHER ORCHESTRAL EXPERIENCE

• Southern States Utah
• Mississippi Symphony
• Meridian Symphony
• Tallahassee Symphony
• Columbus Symphony
• Ballet West
• Utah Chamber Artists
• Opera West
• Utah Arts Festival Orchestra
• Utah Sinfonietta
• Salt Lake Pops Orchestra
• Utah Regional Ballet
• Rocky Mountain Symphony
• Wasatch Front Concert Choir

SIGNIFICANT PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE

“Global  Grooves” Faculty Percussion Recital of World Music - June 2024
“The Steel Jungle” by Mark Ford - Percussion Professor, University of North Texas. The composer re-created this work in 2023 specifically for BYUH Shaka Steel

“An Evening of Ragtime and Silent Film” Faculty Percussion Recital - October 2021

“BYU/BYUH Combined Faculty Percussion Recital” with Dr. Darren Bastian, BYU Percussion Professor, October 2018

Tahitian Drumming Presentation - Eastman School of Music, Univ of Rochester, 2018

Marimbist with Taiko Master Kenny Endo, Laie 2015

Tahitian Drumming Clinician - University of Lethbridge (Alberta, Canada) 2014

“An Evening of Sacred Marimba Music” Faculty Percussion Recital, October 2010

Honolulu Symphony Orchestra Percussion Soloist, October 2005
Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra by Joseph Schwantner
I. Con Forza

Hawaii All-State High School Jazz Ensemble Director, May 2005

Honolulu Percussion Quartet Member, 2005

Drummer with Nonosina - Honolulu Tahiti Fête, February 2005
“Faculty Solo Percussion Recital” October 2004

 “Renaissance Steel Band” member, performance at PASIC
(Percussive Arts Society International Convention) 2003 Louisville

House Drummer, Tahiti Fête of San Jose, 2001-2005

House Drummer, Tahiti Fête of Hilo (Hawaii) 2001

Bebedouru Clube Samba School percussionist (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Carnaval 1996
 

PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE- MUSICAL THEATRE OPERA

BYU–Hawaii

 Once On This Island, 2024, Orchestra Pit Director
Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, 2023
Twelfth Night, 2022
West Side Story, 2020
Once On This Island, 2002

Hawaii Opera Theatre

Three Decembers, 2017 Performances on Oahu, Maui, Kauai
The Nutcracker, 2017
Dialogues of the Carmelites, 2013
Die Fledermaus, 2012
The Pearl Fishers, 2012
La Boheme, 2010
Turandot, 2005

Old Lyric Repertory Company (Logan, Utah)

Lyric Theatre 50th Anniversary Gala, 2017
Servant of Two Masters, 1998

Sundance Summer Theatre (Provo, Utah)

Take Me Along, 1994
Li’l Abner, 1992
Fiddler on the Roof, 1990
The Unsinkable Molly Brown, 1988
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, 1993
Big River, 1991
Pirates of Penzance, 1989

Opera West (Provo, Utah)

Company, 1990
Sweeney Todd, 1989
The Mikado, 1988

Promised Valley Playhouse (Salt Lake City, Utah)

America in Revue, 1987
Let it Ring, 1987

Jackson Hole Playhouse (Jackson, Wyoming)

The Unsinkable Molly Brown, 1986

PUBLICATIONS

“Pehe From a Tahitian Treasure” Percussive Notes - November, 2019

“Samoan Fireknife Drumming” Percussive Notes - May, 2016

“Tahitian Drumming: The Solo Dance Competition” Percussive Notes - August, 2005

“The Unaccompanied Marimba Literature of David Maslanka,” Percussive Notes - June, 1998

A Pedagogical Guide for Twenty Unaccompanied Marimba Solos, a doctoral treatise completed in 1997

Fantasy Variations for Solo Double Second Pans, an original composition published by Panyard, Inc. (Akron, Ohio), 1995

Marianne, an arrangement for steel band published by Panyard, Inc. 1994

Savannah Party, an arrangement for steel band published by Panyard, Inc. 1992

Several other steel band arrangements are currently being prepared for publication by Coyle Drums (Pensacola, Florida)

Founder of Steele Appeal Publications, a privately owned publishing business for steel band music. Music is distributed through Tropical Hammer Steel Drum Crafters (Sanford, Florida).
 

RECORDINGS

My Heavenly Father Loves Me Worldwide Church Music Festival Broadcast - Nov 2024
Pan in Unity – Global steelband 2020

Pacific Tinge by Crosscurrent -The BYUH Faculty World Improv Ensemble. This CD was nominated for a Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award in 2011. Performed all percussion tracks, co-produced and composed the track, “Through the Tunnel.”

“Focus Hawaii” In 2004, a Hawaii TV news magazine show featured me as a local guest artist.

“Laie From The Heart.”  This was a BYUTV (a cable network channel owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) video special that featured performances of ensembles that I directed at BYU-Hawaii in 2002.

Numerous marimba and steel pan performances have been taped and aired by BYUTV, 2002 - present.

Sunshine Generation performance CDs. As a studio drummer, I have recorded numerous performance CD’s for the national children’s organization known as Sunshine Generation. 1990-present

The King and I - musical theatre soundtrack produced by Infinity Productions for Hale Theatre (Provo), 2004

Play Mas’ - Steele Appeal; Producer, Performer, Arranger.  This was an original CD produced by a band that I created in Utah, 1992

Planet Pan by Panoramic Steel, from Brigham Young University, Provo; arranger of several selections on this CD.

Pan Pan by Panoramic Steel; steel pan performer.

Tropical Illusions by Panoramic Steel; steel pan performer.

Let it Ring - musical theatre soundtrack, Promised Valley Playhouse (Salt Lake City); drum set performer

America in Revue - musical theatre soundtrack, Promised Valley Playhouse; drum set performer.
 

University Performance Experience As Graduate/Undergraduate Student

Florida State University

• Salsa Florida (Latin Salsa Band)
• Samba Oba (Brazilian Ensemble)
• Mas’ n Steel (steel band)
• Graduate Chamber Winds
• Symphonic Band
• Percussion Ensemble
• New Baru World Band
• Wind Orchestra
• New Music Ensemble

      

Brigham Young University

• Jazz Ensemble
• Marching Band
• Percussion Ensemble
• Philharmonic Orchestra
• Wind Symphony
• Panoramic Steel
• Young Ambassadors
• Lamanite Generation

Performance Tour Experience

Organized/Directed 21 Neighbor Island performance tours Brigham Young University–Hawaii

• Kauai - Salsa Orchestra or Shaka Steel, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2019
• Big Island - Perc Ensemble, Salsa Orchestra, Shaka Steel, Ho’olokahi Chamber Choir 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2023
• Maui, Hawaii – Salsa Orchestra, Shaka Steel, Studio Orchestra - 2003, 2006, 2009, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2024
• Lanai, Molokai, Maui -2014

Holmes Community College

• The Bahamas, Florida - Steel Band Director, 2000
• Southern States - Steel Band Director, 1999

Florida State University

• Southern Brazil - Samba Oba, 1996

Brigham Young University

• England, Scotland, Wales - Wind Symphony, 1987-88
• China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada - Young Ambassadors, 1985-86
• Northern Mexico, Southeastern United States - Lamanite Generation, 1984-85
• Northeastern United States - Young Ambassadors, 1983-84
• India, Sri Lanka, Western United States - Young Ambassadors, 1981-82 

Music Organization Memberships

Percussive Arts Society, 1985 - present

Hawaii Chapter President, 2004 - 2018

National Judge for the PAS high school percussion ensemble competition in 2005

Jazz Educators Network, 2020- present

College Music Society, 1997 - present

 American Federation of Musicians, Local 677, 2000 - present

Conferences Attended

JEN (Jazz Educators Network) New Orleans, 2020 & 2024

PASIC (Percussive Arts Society International Convention) Indianapolis, 200Austin 2006, Nashville 2004, Louisville 2003, Nashville 2001, Dallas 2000, Orlando 1998, Nashville 1996, Atlanta 1994, New Orleans 1992, Anaheim 1991

CBMR/CMS (Center for Black Music Research/ Society for American Music)
Port of Spain, Trinidad 2001

ATMI (Association for Technology in Music Instruction) New Orleans 1997

Midwest Clinic (An International Band and Orchestra Conference) Chicago 1999

Principal Percussion Instructors

Gary Werdesheim, Florida State University
Ron Brough, Brigham Young University 

Honors and Awards

Service Award - BYU–Hawaii, twenty-year service award, 2020

Festival winner - Percussive Arts Society, Utah Festival, 1989
First place – marimba. First place - timpani
Percussive Arts Society, Utah Festival, 1988
First place - marimba. Second place - timpani

Percussion Service Award - Brigham Young University Music Department, 1988

Endorsements

Innovative Percussion -

endorsement began in January 2006

Other

Collaborative host

for many performing ensembles i.e. The University of Lethbridge, Texas Tech, Columbia College and soloists such as Ray Holman, Tom Miller, Dan Moore, Nestor Torres, Jay Lawrence, Kamuela Kimokeo, Mark Ford, Rolando Sanchez

Community Service

A multitude of performances on campus, at the PCC Marketplace, devotional performances, Ohana meetings, campus dances, donor banquets, informal concerts on the CAC patio, street parades, etc.

BYUH Service Travel

History 202 fieldtrip to Mexico City, 2004 – New Zealand, Fiji 2007

Student teacher supervising visit - Nuku’alofa, Tonga 2006

CV Last Revised June 6, 2024