Derek Hannigan began playing the clarinet in the Artane Boys Band and studied at the Royal Irish Academy with James Daly. He later became a member of the Irish Youth Orchestra and the European Community Youth Orchestra. He won an Arts Council Ireland Bursary, enabling him to continue his studies at the Guildhall School of Music in London, where his professors were Jack Brymer, Yona Ettlinger and Anthony Pay. Whilst there, he won several awards and a scholarship to continue his studies.

After graduating, Derek began working for the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and then continued to freelance with the RTÉ Concert and Symphony Orchestras, the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Concert Orchestra, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra and the City of London Sinfonia, as well as the orchestras of Opera North, English National Opera, the Royal Opera House and the ballet orchestras of Birmingham Royal Ballet (formerly Sadler’s Wells) and English National Ballet. While still a busy freelancer, he became a member of the reformed D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and the orchestra of London Festival Ballet.

Derek currently holds the positions of Principal Bass Clarinet with the BBC Concert Orchestra, Subprincipal Bass Clarinet with the City of London Sinfonia and Section Principal Clarinet with the English National Ballet Philharmonic. In addition to a varied career of live performance and studio recordings, Derek enjoys teaching at the Junior Department of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Lockers Park School.