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Bertenshaw, Derry
Dr Derry Bertenshaw is a native of Shrewsbury, Shropshire. On gaining a First Class Honours Degree in Music he was awarded a Major State Studentship from the British Academy to study for a PhD. His doctoral thesis and published articles on the influence of the late 16th century Italian madrigal on the Jacobean and Caroline viol consort fantasy have been cited in the 2001 edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
After some years involved in musicology Derry returned to his first love: composition. He has composed solo piano, chamber, orchestral, songs, choral and organ music. He is a winner of several international composing competitions including the prestigious New Music for St Paul’s Composing Competition in 2019 whose judges included Andrew Carwood MBE, Director of Music at St Paul’s Cathedral, London and Ivors-winning composer Cecilia McDowall. He was also shortlisted for 2024 John Armitage Memorial Trust (JAM) ‘Music in our Time’ Call for Music.
Derry’s compositions have received premières in his home town of Shrewsbury as well as in Liverpool (by members of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra), Hereford Cathedral and Los Angeles. His choral music has also received a number of premières in the London area – at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, St Pancras Parish Church, All Saints’ Church, Blackheath, Holy Sepulchre, Holborn (the National Musicians’ Church), St Martin of Tours, Epsom (during the 2023, 2024 & 2025 London Festival of Contemporary Church Music) and St Paul’s Cathedral in 2020.
His music has been commercially recorded by the acclaimed concert pianist Chenyin Li and published in the international-selling Pianist Magazine. Derry is Organist and Choirmaster of St Giles’ Church, Shrewsbury.
After some years involved in musicology Derry returned to his first love: composition. He has composed solo piano, chamber, orchestral, songs, choral and organ music. He is a winner of several international composing competitions including the prestigious New Music for St Paul’s Composing Competition in 2019 whose judges included Andrew Carwood MBE, Director of Music at St Paul’s Cathedral, London and Ivors-winning composer Cecilia McDowall. He was also shortlisted for 2024 John Armitage Memorial Trust (JAM) ‘Music in our Time’ Call for Music.
Derry’s compositions have received premières in his home town of Shrewsbury as well as in Liverpool (by members of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra), Hereford Cathedral and Los Angeles. His choral music has also received a number of premières in the London area – at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, St Pancras Parish Church, All Saints’ Church, Blackheath, Holy Sepulchre, Holborn (the National Musicians’ Church), St Martin of Tours, Epsom (during the 2023, 2024 & 2025 London Festival of Contemporary Church Music) and St Paul’s Cathedral in 2020.
His music has been commercially recorded by the acclaimed concert pianist Chenyin Li and published in the international-selling Pianist Magazine. Derry is Organist and Choirmaster of St Giles’ Church, Shrewsbury.