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Derek Hebert (he/him) is now in his tenth anniversary season as the Artistic Director of the Mile High Freedom Bands. He joined the MHFB trombone section in 2012, took over as bandleader of MHFB Swing in 2013, and was appointed the organization’s Artistic Director in spring 2014. Along with guiding the overall artistic direction of all MHFB ensembles, Derek is the primary conductor of MHFB Winds and the director of the MHFB Youth program. He also serves on several band committees and as an ex-officio member of the board of directors.

Derek earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree with honors from the University of Colorado-Boulder and a Master of Music degree in conducting from Colorado State University.

Outside of MHFB, Derek is the Director of Bands and Performing Arts Chair for The Academy in Westminster, Colorado. Since 2013, Academy Bands have grown exponentially and frequently receive the highest marks at music festivals across the state, scoring in the top 10% of high school bands from across Colorado. His students are routinely selected for Colorado All-State ensembles in band, orchestra, and jazz, as well as several local honor ensembles.

Derek and his husband Brad traded the humid swamps of their native Louisiana for the mountains of Colorado in 2006. Brad can often be found in MHFB’s percussion section and involved in lots of creative endeavors for the bands. A little suburb north of Denver is home, where they live with their kitty Winifred.