Iris Derke

Iris Derke is Co-Founder and General Director of DCINY, a concert production company presenting large-scale performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and prestigious venues worldwide since 2008. Under her leadership, DCINY has united tens of thousands of artists from around the globe in performance and has been named to Inc. Magazine’s 5000 list of Fastest Growing Private Companies in America eight times.

Iris is a frequent creative collaborator with composers including Eric Whitacre, Sir Karl Jenkins, Heather Sorenson, and Christopher Tin, presenting numerous world and American premieres of their works. She served as Executive Producer on the album Messiah Refreshed! featuring the Royal Philharmonic at Abbey Road Studios, and has brought landmark productions including Eric Whitacre’s Paradise Lost to stages in New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas.

A proud member of the Chorus America Board of Directors, Iris contributes to the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO), and the International Federation of Choral Music (IFCM). She is a sought-after speaker on arts leadership and entrepreneurship, with recent presentations at the Association of British Choral Directors (ABCD) Conference at the Royal Conservatory of Scotland in Glasgow, and Columbia University’s National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) in partnership with Inc. Magazine. Her work has been featured in Inc. Magazine and Business Insider.

A versatile artist in her own right, flutist Iris Derke has performed internationally with the TURKSOY Symphony Orchestra in Turkey, the Polish National Symphony in Bialystok, the Croatian Chamber Orchestra, and DCINY’s Distinguished Concerts Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. World premieres have been written specifically for her, including Dinos Constantinides’ Flute and Harp Concerto at Lincoln Center, and Matej Meštrović’s Flautando at the Zagreb Opera House. Her studio recording credits include Disney, Columbia/RCA, and Apple. Critics have described her playing as “attentive and loving… celestial music… heart-rendering sequences.”

A PADI-certified Rescue Scuba Diver and ultra-endurance athlete, Iris has participated in multiple 155-mile, 7-day self-supported Racing the Planet desert races across Patagonia, Mongolia, Chile’s Atacama Desert, and Finland’s Arctic Circle. She is an eight-time finisher of the NYC Marathon and a regular participant in the NYC Triathlon.

Originally from Santa Monica, California, Iris was educated at UCLA, The Royal College of Music in London, Manhattan School of Music, and Columbia University’s School of Business. She is a proud New York City resident with her husband, Rob Derke, a jazz educator and musician, and a leader in the non-profit world.  Their daughter, Ella, based in Washington, D.C., is active in international relations and politics.

RECENT MEDIA CLIPS ABOUT MS. DERKE:

Film series “What do you do?” with a feature on Ms. Derke and the great team at DCINY:

INC MAGAZINE spotlight: https://www.inc.com/magazine/202209/inc-staff/founders-series-inc-5000-2022.html

BEHIND THE SCENES at Carnegie Hall with Ms. Derke: https://www.businessinsider.com/what-its-like-behind-the-scenes-at-carnegie-hall-2019-7

ZAGREB, CROATIA PERFORMANCE: