"From stillness and introspection to driving, quirky rhythms the music is rich and contradictory... it feels sometimes as if the music has always been there and I have simply dug deep to uncover it"
“Colin Riley has for some years been a composer who seems to be able to create moments of magic.”
Stewart Collins, Classical Music Magazine, Dec 2003
Colin Riley’s work has featured at many festivals in the UK and overseas and his growing reputation has led to commissions and performances in recent years from a range of diverse groups. Between 1995 and 1998 Colin held the post of Composer-in-Association with the Bournemouth Orchestras.
Recent premieres have included The Inside Springs given by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and broadcast on BBC Radio 3, No Trace, and Close at IF05 Festival, Ebb Cast for Piano Circus, plus a set of ‘concerti’ commissioned by Sinfonia Viva; Sub Merge (bass guitar) for Pete Wilson, Melted Tracks (electric cello) for Zoe Martlew, Epiphanies and Meditations (improvising piano) for Liam Noble, and Landscapes with Birds (improvising tenor saxophone) for Tim Whitehead.
His current work explores the integration of both improvisation and electric components into his scores; improvisation via his Homemade Orchestra, (and the highly-acclaimed debut album Tides) , and electronica in his new ensemble MOOV (incorporating extensive live VJ-ing and video as part of its presentation).
Colin’s music has in recently been described as: “beautiful, clever and direct” (Classical Music), "some of the most beautiful music you will hear this year …. has the hairs rising on the back of your neck" (Birmingham Post) "tough and gritty" (Independent) “intelligent ,confident, accessible” (Guardian) "unusually colourful and seductive depths" (Jazzwise)
