Derrick Morgan
Derrick Morgan
Conductor
“He brings a calm and thoughtful approach to rehearsals and demonstrates a genuine ability to connect with the musicians in front of him—both through his manner and his technique.”
- Thomas Søndergård
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Biography
Derrick made his official season debut with the RSNO in May 2024, stepping in at short notice to conduct. During his time at the RSNO, Derrick recorded and performed across Scotland, engaging with audiences in a wide range of venues. In the studio, he collaborated with the orchestra’s new partner, Charanga Music, to create educational materials for schools, and recorded the iconic Flower of Scotland in an arrangement by Christopher Gough for Euro 2024 — a video that attracted thousands of views and multiple broadcasts on Classic FM. His tenure concluded in June 2025 with a residency as part of the RSNO’s Big Music Weekend where he led a range of performances.
Previous seasons’ engagements include stepping in with only a few hours’ notice to conduct the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in a programme which featured the premiere of Jay Capperauld’s new saxophone concerto Rewired in July 2025.
Other conducting highlights include conducting Scottish Ensemble, Hebrides Ensemble, Red Note Ensemble, The Assembly Project, and the BBC Singers as well as Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia and the Hungarian National Symphony Orchestra Szeged outside the UK.
Derrick is also a committed advocate for contemporary music and was invited to conduct various premieres with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland contemporary ensemble MusicLab at the Plug Festival in 2026. He conducted in the opening concert of the 2025 Nordic Music Days festival where he worked with the Scottish Ensemble, the first time the festival had included Scotland as a contributing country. He has also collaborated with the Assembly Project and Red Note Ensemble to present student compositions and adjudicate composition competitions at the University of Edinburgh.
Education and audience engagement are central to Derrick’s work. At the RSNO, he leads the orchestra’s partnership with Scotland’s Sistema programme, Big Noise, and has been involved in the NYOS Engage programme. He was formerly Assistant Artistic Director of the RPS-nominated Nevis Ensemble, working with communities across Scotland and later supported the training of their Ensemble Fellows.
As an assistant, Derrick has had the privilege of working with many of the world’s leading conductors, including the late Sir Andrew Davis, John Wilson, Karina Canellakis, Andrey Boreyko, Joanna Carneiro, and Sir James MacMillan.
Derrick Morgan is a young Scottish conductor based in Glasgow. He recently completed a two-year tenure as Assistant Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, where he worked closely with Music Director Thomas Søndergård, and all guest conductors.
During the 2025/26 season, Derrick assisted Patrick Hahn on a concert version of the full Ring Cycle with the Sinfonieorchester und Oper Wuppertal. He is subsequently invited back to conduct their Christmas concert in the coming season.
Building on his established relationship with the RSNO, he conducted them in Shostakovich Symphony no. 9 and Amy Beach Gaelic Symphony for an online performance video which will be released later this year. He also received several repeat invitations to conduct the RSNO in their Viennese New Year’s concerts with Scottish tenor Jamie MacDougall.
After a successful debut with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland Engagement Orchestra earlier this season, Derrick is invited back to conduct their spring tour in 2027.
Other highlights this coming season include debuts with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in a Friday Night is Music Night performance to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3, as well as a series of matinee performances with the Ulster Orchestra. He is also invited back to the RSNO in September for a national schools tour.