About
Ian Deterling is a composer whose work explores the intersection of tradition and innovation, resulting in music that is intellectually engaging, emotionally resonant, and artistically distinctive. His compositions span a wide range of instrumentations and styles, reflecting a deep commitment to craft and expressive depth.
Deterling’s music has been performed nationally and internationally by musicians affiliated with prestigious ensembles including the London Symphony Orchestra, the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, Wind-Or-Jester Berlin, the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, and the San Antonio Symphony. His works and arrangements are also frequently performed by educational and community ensembles around the world, ranging from high school and university groups to regional orchestras and concert bands.
In recent years, his work has included several notable international collaborations. His Bass Trombone Concerto No. 1, Op. 11a, developed in close collaboration with Darrin C. Milling, principal bass trombonist of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, was premiered in 2022 at McGill University in Montréal by the McGill University Wind Orchestra. In 2023, Milling premiered Deterling’s Concertino in F Major, Op. 15a, with the National Theater Orchestra of Brazil in Brasília. Deterling has also collaborated with Zoltán Kiss of Mnozil Brass, who has performed his Concertino from “Quest” across Europe with the Hungarian Police Band, the Polish Philharmonic Orchestra, and Brassband Buizingen, a Belgian brass band based in Buizingen. Deterling has collaborated multiple times since 2023 with the Plattsburgh Clarinet Choir; the premiere of Misterioso, Op. 15b, marks their seventh collaboration.
Deterling earned a Bachelor of Science in Music from the University of Wisconsin-Superior and a Master of Music in Composition from Stephen F. Austin State University. He went on to teach ethnomusicology and music technology at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and music history at The College of St. Scholastica before turning his focus fully to composing and arranging in 2021. In addition to his compositional work, Deterling maintains active interests in vegan cuisine, distance running, classic horror cinema, and woodworking with traditional hand tools.
