Derrik Nelson is a composer, educator, conductor, and arts administrator serving as Director of Fine & Performing Arts at Providence Christian School, a classical Christian school in Dothan, Alabama. He is passionate about cultivating musical excellence and affection through the classical tradition, helping students encounter truth, goodness, and beauty through music, particularly through singing.

Derrik previously served as Professor of Music Composition, Theory, and Guitar at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition from the University of Kentucky, where he studied composition with Professor Joseph Baber and taught undergraduate courses in Theory and Ear Training. He also earned a Master of Music in Composition and Theory from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Music Education, with emphases in Classical Guitar and Choral Education, from The University of Southern Mississippi.

As a composer, Derrik’s works include orchestral, chamber, solo instrumental, choral, vocal, and electronic music. His music has been featured in concerts and performances throughout the southeastern United States. In addition to his concert music, he has composed music for children’s choirs and has conducted young singers in a variety of educational settings. He believes that music for children should be childlike without being childish, cultivating wonder while maintaining artistic integrity.

During his studies, Derrik worked with distinguished composers including Joseph Baber, Ladislav Kubik, Mark Wingate, Luigi Zaninelli, Dan Shore, and James Schlater. He has also collaborated with guitarist Nick Ciraldo in the creation and performance of several chamber works.

In addition to his work as a composer, Derrik has taught music in higher education, classical Christian schools, churches, and private studios. He is Kodály certified and is committed to recovering a robust culture of singing, music literacy, and artistic formation within classical Christian education.

Derrik resides in Dothan, Alabama, with his family, where he continues to compose, teach, conduct, and advocate for music as an essential component of a flourishing classical education.