Derek Williams

Derek Leslie Williams (born 20 September 1952) is a New Zealand-born Scottish composer, record producer, conductor, and orchestrator known for his scores for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Bodysurfer, Children of the Dragon, Come in Spinner, The Crossing, Crush, Frauds, The Other Side of Paradise, Ring of Scorpio, Seven Deadly Sins, Thank God He Met Lizzie, Visionaries, and for Frank Bennett, Stella Cole, Glenfiddich, Sir Robert Helpmann, Grace Knight, Debbie Newsome, Caroline O'Connor, Mikkel Rønnow and Torvill and Dean. He is currently serving his 9th term as Chair of the Wagner Society of Scotland, a member of the International Association of Wagner Societies (RWVI) and at the 2024 Assembly of Delegates at Deutsche Oper Berlin, he was elected to serve a 5-year term as board member of the RWVI Presidium.

Williams was awarded a doctorate by the University of Edinburgh under Nigel Osborne and Peter Nelson for composition of his eponymous opera Wilde. He is a Fellow of Trinity College London, and an Honorary Member of the Music Arrangers Guild of Australia. Williams is a civil rights activist known for his 'Save Sibelius' campaign in the United Kingdom (2012–2013). Since 2007, he has taught Composition and Orchestration at the Edinburgh University Reid School of Music.

Career Williams first came to public notice in 1974 when he founded the New Zealand School of Music, through which with conductor Juan Matteucci he established the first non-university tertiary level qualification for conductors of music in the Southern Hemisphere.

As a chorister, Williams performed in the 640 voice Third International Choral Festival at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts under Robert Shaw with Peter Godfrey's Auckland University Festival Choir, as well as at The White House, the Kennedy Center, the United Nations and at Westminster Abbey and King's College Chapel, Cambridge.

As arranger, orchestrator, conductor and musician commissioned by international artists Stella Cole, Sir Robert Helpmann, Torvill and Dean, Grace Knight, Frank Bennett, Debbie Newsome, Sir Howard Morrison, and prominent Australian screen composers Martin Armiger, Guy Gross, and Antony Partos, Williams is also known for his reorchestrations of tracks from hit records. His commissions have been performed in the Glass Hall (Tivoli Gardens) Copenhagen, the Royal Albert Hall, Garrick Theatre and Kings Place (London), at the Sydney Opera House and Hamer Hall, Melbourne, Australia, and at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Williams was the orchestrator and conductor of the Victorian Philharmonic Orchestra for Guy Gross's music for Stephan Elliott's Frauds, starring Phil Collins, Hugo Weaving and Josephine Byrnes, and was choral and instrumental arranger of Gross's music for Elliott's Oscar winning film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. He was the orchestrator and conductor for Martin Armiger's music for The Crossing, starring Russell Crowe, and was orchestrator for the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra for Antony Partos' music for Crush that was winner of Best Film Score at New Zealand Film and TV Awards and Best Sound Track. Williams was arranger and conductor for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation double-platinum album Vince Jones & Grace Knight – Come in Spinner from the ABC miniseries Come in Spinner for record producer Martin Armiger, which won the ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album, peaked at No 4 on the ARIA Charts, and became the highest selling jazz album in Australian history with sales exceeding 230,000 copies. He was producer, arranger and conductor for Frank Bennett's EMI Music album Cash Landing, nominated at ARIA Music Awards of 1999 for Best Adult Contemporary Album. He was composer for Ruaridh M. Turner's The Beast in the Storm, which won Order of Merit in the Indie Fest and Best Action/Thriller/SciFi – Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards.

In 2016, Williams was conductor of the Lothian Festival Orchestra for live performances of The Snowman at St Mary's Collegiate Church, Haddington and in 2021 he was conductor of the Linlithgow String Orchestra and Abbotsford String Orchestra. In 2026, Williams was commissioned by Danish conductor Mikkel Rønnow and American jazz singer Stella Cole to adapt arrangements he had originally scored for Caroline O'Connor in 2005, for concerts at the Glassalen Copenhagen. with a chapter on Claud Williams. From left: Derek Williams, Andrew Goudie, Russell McGuirk (editor of Claud's book pictured). (Photo: Brendan McGuirk) footer =

Born 1952 of Agnes ('Nancy') Williams (née Anderson) of Bathgate, Scotland (office clerk) and New Zealander Edward ('Ted') Williams (farmer). Early childhood in Gisborne, New Zealand and Rotorua, studied at Rosmini College (Auckland) 1964–1970. Studied Music 1971–74 at University of Auckland under Charles Nalden, Douglas Mews and Peter Godfrey, winning the Professor Hollinrake Memorial Scholarship and Senior Scholarship Award as BMus graduate. Milford. Admitted Fellow of Trinity College, London in 1977.

Descended from Henry Williams, a missionary, and Marianne Coldham, an educator, who was awarded the Military Cross for his Report on the Military Geography of the North-Western Desert of Egypt (War Office Handbook), used by the Long Range Desert Group in the Tobruk campaign against Rommel. In 2010, the Royal Geographical Society co-opted Williams as family representative for its publication of Claud's autobiographical memoir, Light Car Patrols 1916–19, and he was guest speaker at the 2013 book launch.

New Zealand International choral tour Williams (L) age 19 in Auckland University Festival Choir uniform by Colin Cole with friend after the choir's Lincoln Center performance (26 April 1972).

World tour as a chorister with the 40-voice Auckland University Festival Choir, conducted by Professor Peter Godfrey, a King's College, Cambridge alumnus and founder of the New Zealand Choral Federation and the Symphonia of Auckland. During the 3rd International University Choral Festival, at the United Nations, the choir participated in a massed chorus of 16 international choirs conducted by Willi Gohl, followed by a concert of 640 voices on 30 April 1972 at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts New York under Robert Shaw. During the US tour, the choir also performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and at a White House reception with the First Lady, Pat Nixon, on the eve of the breaking of the Watergate scandal. In the United Kingdom, the Festival Choir performed at Westminster Abbey and at King's College, Cambridge in a joint concert with King's College Choir with Sir David Willcocks. They were met by composer Benjamin Britten and tenor Peter Pears for the choir's recital at the Snape Maltings and the choir won praise for its performances in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Singapore. In 1998, there was a CD re-release of its LP, recorded straight after the world tour. Lauded as the "best choir New Zealand has produced", Godfrey's Festival Choir continued to hold decennial reunions until his death in 2017.

New Zealand School of Music

In 1974, Williams founded and until 1978 was governing director of the New Zealand School of Music Ltd under the patronage of the Mayor of Auckland, Sir Dove-Myer Robinson and with the conductor of the Symphonia of Auckland, Maestro Juan Matteucci, he established the first non-university tertiary level qualification for conductors of music in the Southern Hemisphere. Williams was also a course participant. This made the front page of the Auckland Star, Wiltshire later was a conductor of the Australian production of Cats at Theatre Royal, Sydney, for which Williams was also a keyboardist, for several hundred performances. There followed a similar course for percussionists, and in 1977 an Orchestral Training Scheme to be headed by Matteucci with Symphonia section leaders was announced, however this was shelved after funding failed to materialise.

Rotorua

During his tenure as teacher in charge of Music at Rotorua Boys' High School from 1979 to 1985, Williams was performer and musical director for numerous community productions, including Jesus Christ Superstar starring Rob Guest and as joint MD with Peter Lette for the Rotorua Operatic Society's 1980 production of Godspell at the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre.

Aloha

In 1981 Williams was orchestrator and musical director for the world première and cast album of Eaton Magoon Jr and Sir Robert Helpmann's Hawaiian musical Aloha, starring Derek Metzger and directed by Robert Young for Hamilton Operatic Society at the Founders Theatre. Aloha received favourable reviews, with the New Zealand Herald reporting, "Derek Williams' orchestra helps to make the evening a success," The world premiere was followed in 1985 by a Michael Edgley revival production at His Majesty's Theatre, Auckland, directed by Joe Layton, also starring Metzger and Hollywood actress Patricia Morison, with Williams continuing as production arranger and musical director.

Australia

From 1985, Williams was musical director and keyboards player for productions at Australia's Wonderland, Phillip Street Theatre, Glen Street Theatre and Sydney Theatre Restaurants Ltd and from 1985 to 1988 he was orchestrator for the Australian Singing Competition, initially at the Sydney Opera House. He was also a keyboards player for over 400 performances of Cats for Cameron Mackintosh at the Theatre Royal, Sydney, the longest running show in Australian history, and for its 1994 revival by the Really Useful Group at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney. Following the success of Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Come in Spinner (miniseries) and platinum spin-off album Vince & Grace, Williams continued as musical director and arranger for the CD launch and Grace Knight's promotional tour for Kevin Jacobsen, as well as for tours with Perfect Match star, Debbie Newsome.

Williams was an early adopter and exponent of digital music technology, using two Kurzweil K250 ROM sample instruments in his orchestrations for the ill-fated Australian Bicentenary musical Manning Clark's History of Australia - The Musical, one of whose composers was record producer and film composer Martin Armiger. Williams thereafter began working with Armiger in various roles for 15 film and TV scores and was also orchestrator and conductor for leading screen composers Guy Gross and Antony Partos.

In 1989, Williams and Armiger were called as expert witnesses in the Federal Court of Australia supporting a copyright infringement case brought by Guy Gross against CBS Records Australia Limited and Collette Roberts, with the court finding in the defendants' favour. Also in 1989, Williams was choral arranger and pianist for Torvill and Dean's album Here We Stand, produced by Kevin Stanton, and recorded while Christopher Dean was laid up in Sydney, recuperating from a torn ligament.

From 1995 to 1997, Williams was musical director and Conductor of the Orchestra and Choir of the Waverley-Randwick Philharmonic Society, while studying conducting with Myer Fredman.

In 1998, Williams was record producer, arranger and conductor for Frank Bennett's album Cash Landing for EMI Music Australia, and from 1989 to 2006, he was a Higher School Certificate examiner and advisor in Music and Computing Studies for the New South Wales Board of Studies while teaching at Randwick Boys High School (1985–2006). and for her album A Tribute to Garland recorded at the Opera House, and launched in an outdoor big band concert in Sydney's Taronga Park with Williams as keyboardist. Williams was also commissioned as arranger for her debut performance at Kander and Ebb – The Night of 1000 Voices on 6 May 2007, at the Royal Albert Hall, produced by Hugh Wooldridge and conducted by David Firman with John Kander present, subsequently for her Garrick Theatre season of The Showgirl Within, and for the opening of Hamer Hall, Melbourne.

Scotland

After having worked with New Zealand Labour Party MP Fran Wilde in support of her Homosexual Law Reform Act 1986,

In 1991, amid a spate of murders of gay men by school-age youths, Williams co-founded and was six times re-elected co-convenor of the Gay & Lesbian Teachers & Students Association (GaLTaS), by the Australian Government to assess the scale of school-based homophobia. From May 1993, Williams began to call on the parliament to remove private schools' LGBT+ related exemptions from the New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Act 1977.

In the course of his GaLTaS co-convenorship, while teaching at Randwick Boys High School, Williams worked with New South Wales Education Minister Virginia Chadwick, MP Clover Moore, Australian Medical Association President Kerryn Phelps, Parents and Citizens (P&C), PFLAG, the New South Wales Teachers Federation, New South Wales Anti-discrimination Board and NSW Police concerning ongoing issues of school homophobia. During GaLTaS' active period, Williams frequently appeared in press and television coverage of LGBT issues, including the Today Show, The 7.30 Report, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Attitude program Nine Network's 60 Minutes and the TV series Sex episode "Homosexuality", and was interviewed by Quentin Dempster, Eric Campbell and Sophie Lee.

In 1997 Williams addressed the Parliament of Australia forum on youth suicide convened by then Prime Minister, John Howard, working with PFLAG who also attended. In the same year, he was a GaLTaS witness in submissions on behalf of LGBT+ teachers and students to the Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission under Chris Sidoti and the Justice James Roland Wood Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service.

In 1998, GaLTaS was absorbed into the New South Wales Teachers Federation as a Special Interest Group, with Williams as a founding member. Since 2008, Williams has been active in LGBT+ politics in Scotland and in 2018, was co-opted as Meetings Secretary of the Edinburgh University Staff Pride Network.

Credits Filmography

Commissioning composers: Martin Armiger, Guy Gross, Antony Partos, Roy Hubermann, David Kimber

Commissioning organisations: Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Nine Network, EMI Music Australia, Festival Mushroom Records, Picture This Music, John Singleton Ltd

Derek Williams credited as Arranger, Orchestrator, Composer, Associate Composer, Conductor or Musician in the following moving image works:

Film The Beast in the Storm, Turner Gang, (2016) composer, orchestrator, musician, audio engineer Hildegarde, Screen Australia, (2001) orchestrator Empire, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, (1997) orchestrator The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, (1994) orchestrator Frauds, J & M Entertainment, (1993) orchestrator, conductor, composer – additional music Crush, Australian Film Council, (1992) orchestrator Blinky Bill, Yoram Gross Productions, (1992) orchestrator, conductor The Crossing, Beyond International Group, (1990) orchestrator, conductor, piano, composer – additional music Ring of Scorpio, Film Finance Corporation Australia, BBC Television, and Nine Network, (1990) orchestrator, conductor, composer – additional music The Rainbow Warrior Conspiracy, Seven Network, (1989) arranger, orchestrator

Television Glenfiddich 21yo – TV & Online Media Campaign (2015) composer additional music, arranger/orchestrator, conductor, mixing and mastering engineer Hard Knox, Peter Bloomfield, (2001) orchestrator, composer – additional music Thank God He Met Lizzie, Stamen Films Ltd, (1997) orchestrator Seven Deadly Sins, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, (1993) arranger, musician The Other Side of Paradise, Network Ten, (1992) orchestrator, conductor, composer – additional music Children of the Dragon, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, based on Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, (1991) orchestrator, conductor Police Rescue, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, (1992) composer – additional music, arranger, keyboard programming Come in Spinner (miniseries), Australian Broadcasting Corporation, (1990) arranger, orchestrator, conductor Body Surfer, Ian Barry (1989) orchestrator, conductor, musician The Last Resort, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, (1988) orchestrator, conductor, composer – additional music Seven Network TV Sports ID's, and Station ID Let's Celebrate '88 (1988)

Documentary Mail Porter, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, (2015) composer, orchestrator, musician, audio engineer Plot for Peace, (2013) orchestrator – Empire The Making of Longbird, Edinburgh College of Art (2012) musician Black Swan, Antony Partos (1995) orchestrator Widows, Roy Hubermann – Australian movie (1994) arranger, orchestrator The Wonderful World of Dogs, Mark Lewis, (1990) composer – additional music In Grave Danger of Falling Food, 220 Productions – Bill Mollison (1989) composer, arranger, orchestrator, musician Flashbacks, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1988) audio engineer

Discography

7243 4 98085 2 2ARIA Award nominationCD SingleVirgin UPC = 7243 8 86610 2 7OpportunitiesAustralian Dance Assessment Program Penelope Lancasterproducer, arranger, pianist, sound recordistBalletADV4 CDNew Zealand Choral MusicAuckland University Festival Choir, conductor Peter GodfreychoristerClassical

ChoralKiwiVinyl LPSLD-31World Tour 1972

Education PhD, BMus, DipEd, FTCL, LMusTCL, DipTeach(NSW), DipTchg(NZ)