Derrick Spiva

Spiva is the artistic director of the chamber ensemble and arts organization Bridge to Everywhere. He is also a teaching artist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic[2] and a conductor for the Santa Clarita Valley Youth Orchestra[3] and Santa Monica Youth Orchestra. He is the inaugural artist educator for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (2018–2021).[4] Educated at University of California, Los Angeles and California Institute of the Arts, Spiva studied classical music as a student of Ian Krouse, Paul Chihara, David Rosenboom and Alex Shapiro, while also studying Persian music theory with Pirayeh Pourafar, Balkan music theory with Tzvetanka Varimezova, tala in Hindustani classical music with Swapan Chaudhuri and West African music and dance with Kobla Ladzekpo. Spiva's compositional works often incorporate musical elements from different cultural traditions into contemporary classical music contexts.

His works have been performed and/or commissioned by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Electric 8,[5][6] Albany Symphony Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Berkeley Symphony, Santa Clarita Valley Youth Orchestra,[7] Lian Ensemble, UCLA Philharmonia,[8] Chapman University Wind Symphony,[9] Superdevoiche (Bulgarian Women's Choir), EXIGENCE,[10] Los Angeles Master Chorale, Lyris Quartet, and Salastina Music Society,[11] among other groups. Rhythm and the embodiment of rhythm through movement is an important theme in Spiva's works; he has collaborated with choreographers such as Mariel McEwan, Sheetal Gandhi, Cynthia Ling Lee, and synchronized swimming champion and international coach Sue Baross Nesbitt.[12] He has been awarded a residency with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) through New Music USA's "Music Alive" program for LACO's 2015–2016 season[13] and has released two albums, Prisms, Cycles, Leaps (2015) and American Mirror (2018), with Orenda Records.[14]

Spiva has given talks, workshops, and pre-concert lectures about his musical practices at the Homeland Cultural Center], Skirball Cultural Center, Royce Hall (UCLA), Alex Theater, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and various other schools and institutions. He was asked to speak at the 2016 annual League of American Orchestras conference in Baltimore on the topic of how classical music orchestras can build stronger relationships with their diverse communities.[15]

Spiva is the son of Artra Howard-Brant, and nephew of Mattina Howard, Sherri Howard and Denean Howard of the Howard Sisters[16] who won gold and silver medals in track and field at the 1984 (Los Angeles) and 1988 (Seoul) Olympic games. His father, Derrick Spiva Sr, is a lecturer at San Francisco State University in Africana Studies. He is married to ethnomusicologist Kim Nguyen Tran.

• Official website
• Bridge to Everywhere
• Los Angeles Philharmonic teaching artists
• Santa Clarita Valley Youth Orchestra
• Los Angeles Electric 8 at LACMA
• CalArts First FoCA Salon of the Season by Kari Mozena, Los Angeles Magazine, October 14, 2011