A native of Jamaica, NY, Graham was exposed to music and theatre through childhood involvement as an actor in community theatre productions and singing gospel in a baptist youth choir from the age of five up to his teen years (His Carolinian years). Those abilities would eventually, and somewhat subversively, heel-turn into music production, writing, mixing and recording songs for hip hop, soul, and R&B. His musicality and technical prowess in audio has only evolved through the many stages of his educational and professional development, receiving a bachelor of arts in music/sound recording (Elizabeth City State University) and a master of fine arts in production design and technology/sound (Ohio University).

Derek’s works in sound design include What the constitution means to me (CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE); What we Look Like (Dobama Theatre); Fat Ham and They Do Not KNow Harlem (Playmakers Repertory Company); Detroit ’67 (Baldwin-Wallace University Theater); I Shall Not Be Moved and Your Negro Tour Guide (Ensemble Theatre Cincinatti/Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022); music compositions include THE FOLKS AT HOME (INDIANA REPERTORY THEATER); MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN (CLEVELAND PLAYHOUSE); The Chinese Lady (Artists Repertory Theatre); in Every Generation (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley); and Incident at Our Lady of PErpetual Help (Asolo Repertory TheatRE).