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)Members > Scotland. 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..'Committee'. (2 June 2024). International Association of Wagner Societies.

Williams was awarded a doctorate by the University of Edinburgh for composition of his eponymous opera Wilde.Christina Dunwoodie - Lecturer, Vocal Performance. Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. (18 July 2017). Derek Williams (Composer) – Christina Dunwoodie interview. YouTube. Scotland. He is also a Fellow of Trinity College London,'On The Scene: Two musical directors handle Godspell'. 26 April 1980: Rotorua Daily Post.'The Arts'. (12 June 1985). 'Teacher Continues Aloha Association'. p. 24. Rotorua Daily Post and an Honorary Member of the Music Arrangers Guild of Australia.Member Profile: Derek Williams. Music Arrangers Guild of Australia. Since 2007, he has taught Composition and Orchestration at the Edinburgh University Reid School of Music. Williams is a civil rights activist known for his 'Save Sibelius' campaign in the United Kingdom (2012–2013).Banks, Adam. (17 August 2012). "Avid hits bum note with Sibelius", MacUser. p. 14. Publisher: Dennis Publishing (London)

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.(22 July 1976). "I think... yes... I've got it!". Front page. Auckland Star (New Zealand)

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 NationsVIDEO from 26'10": (28 April 1972). Third International University Choral Festival. ASSET ID 887083. United Nations Audio Visual Library. and at Westminster Abbey and King's College Chapel, Cambridge.

As arranger, orchestrator, conductor and musician commissioned by international artists Stella Cole, Caroline O'Connor, Sir Robert Helpmann,(27 October 1981). "Author full of praise" (Sir Robert Helpmann). Waikato Times, New Zealand.Cryer, Max. (25 October 1981). "Hamilton produces ambitious musical" and "Kitsch Aloha goes down a real treat". p. 9. New Zealand Times Torvill and Dean, Grace Knight, Frank Bennett, Debbie Newsome, Sir Howard Morrison, and Australian screen composers Martin Armiger, Guy Gross, and Antony Partos, Williams is also known for his reorchestrations of tracks from hit records.Cash Landing. EMI Music Australia. Discogs. His commissions have been performed in the Glass Hall (Tivoli Gardens) Copenhagen, the Royal Albert Hall,'The Night of 1000 Voices, in aid of The National Autistic Society and the National Attention Deficit Disorder Information and Support Service (ADDISS)'. 6 May 2007. Ref: RAHE/1/2007/36 Royal Albert Hall archives. 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.New Zealand On Screen, Crush awards. NZ On Screen. 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.Wendy Matthews & Grace Knight. 13 March 2026. Humanitix. 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.Holmes, Peter (3 October 1999). "Vote Early, Vote Often". p. 18. The Sun-Herald (Sydney, Australia) 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 Derek Williams Snowman Live - Close up + Rehearsal Conductor Cam 10DEC2016. 10 December 2016. St Mary's Collegiate Church, Haddington. YouTube 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.

Biography

Early life and education Born 1952 to Agnes ('Nancy') Williams (née Anderson), an office clerk from Bathgate, Scotland and Edward ('Ted') Williams, a New Zealand farmer, Williams spent his early childhood in Gisborne, New Zealand and Rotorua.Evans, Rex (1992). Faith and Farming Te Huarahi Ki Te Ora, 'Descendants of Williams, Henry and Coldham, Marianne: Williams, Derek'. pp. 22–30. Publisher: Evegean Publishing . (hbk.) Auckland War Memorial Museum

Descended from Henry Williams, a missionary, and Marianne Coldham, an educator, Williams' grandfather, Claud Williams, was an explorer of the Libyan Egyptian desert during World War IAndrew Goudie, University of Oxford. (2016). Great Desert Explorers. pp. 3, 76, 220, 223–237. Royal Geographical Society. (London). earning the Military Cross for his Report on the Military Geography of the North-Western Desert of Egypt (War Office Handbook),Harold, Jim (2005). Deserts, Cars, Maps and Names. Publisher: University of Northumbria 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,Williams, Claud (2013). Light Car Patrols 1916–19. Derek Williams acknowledged p. 154. Editor: Russell McGuirk. Publisher: Royal Geographical Society. JSTOR: . (London) and he was guest speaker at the 2013 book launch.Hughes, Sally (21 October 2013). Review: Across The Desert In A Model T. The National Archives (United Kingdom)

Educated at Rosmini College (Auckland) 1964–1970 while studying piano with Mary Nathan in Milford,Caroll, Penelope. (24 March 1994). There's always room for one more – Mary Nathan: sec. 2, p. 5. The New Zealand Herald. National Library of New Zealand. Williams completed his early tertiary studies at the University of Auckland under Charles Nalden, Douglas Mews and Peter Godfrey, winning the Professor Hollinrake Memorial ScholarshipUniversity of Auckland Calendar 1974, 'Scholarships, Bursaries and Awards – AU Scholarships 1973', p. 527. New Zealand.Professor Hollinrake Memorial Scholarship. University of Auckland. and Senior Scholarship Award,University of Auckland Calendar 1975 'Scholarships, Bursaries and Awards – AU Scholarships 1974', p. 547. New Zealand. graduating with a Bachelor of Music (BMus) in 1974. He followed this with a Diploma in Education (DipEd) from the Auckland Secondary Teachers College in 1978, subsequently qualifying DipTchg, and later as DipTeach after moving to New South Wales, Australia.

Continuing his piano studies with Mary Nathan alongside his undergraduate degree, Williams also gained professional diplomas through Trinity College London, qualifying as a Licentiate in Music (LMusTCL) and later being awarded a Fellowship (FTCL) in 1977. He completed his formal academic training under supervisors Peter Nelson and Nigel Osborne at the University of Edinburgh, where he was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in composition in 2012, and has taught part time since 2007.

New Zealand International choral tour