Derek Barbolla (FR)

Derek Barbolla is the Founder and Creative Director of Cercle, the esteemed and revolutionary artistic movement that hosts and curates musical experiences, events, festivals, and immersive journeys.

Raised in the Parisian suburbs in a multicultural (Franco-Argentinean) household that fostered arts and emotion, Derek was encouraged to pursue creative endeavors by his father, an actor, and his mother, a psychoanalyst. Derek studied music theory throughout his early life ahead of his formal education at Sorbonne University, where he obtained a Degree in Cinema Studies.

An early player in the Artificial Intelligence industry, Derek’s first foray into technology began at eighteen years old with a role in machine learning. He further established his career in AI during his time at VirtuOz, a software company that develops and sells an interactive agent technology capable of efficiently collaborating with clients’ customer service departments.It was here that Derek developed his skills to explore and support the evolving market of virtual events. This introduction to the intersection of digital communication and production helped to shape the foundation of Cercle.

Following his passions for artistic expression and production, Derek created Cercle, a pioneering new approach to electronic music performances that has expanded to include Cercle Moments, Cercle Records, and Cercle Odyssey. Today, Cercle is a wholly innovative concept that combines a passion for promoting cultural heritage and iconic landmarks through music and sound with an innate ability to deliver immersive world-class performances to communities across the world.

Music preferences: So eclectic! Classical Bach, Vivaldi, and jazzy Ray Charles stood as essential to my understanding of music. Rap (mainly US and French), pop, indie, rock, reggaeton (and Latin music more broadly), electronic music, R&B, soul, Afrobeat, reggae, and many other genres… I now strive to blur boundaries between musical genres.