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Gyan Riley (1977-    )

Gyan Riley, composerGyan Riley won his first guitar in a raffle when he was 12 years old. After learning all of the songs in his cassette collection by ear, he began his life-long adventure in music, becoming the first full-scholarship graduate guitar student at the San Francisco Conservatory. He then spent 15 years living in the Bay Area, touring as a classical guitar soloist and in various ensembles, including performances with Zakir Hussain, Michael Manring, Mike Marshall, Dawn Upshaw, the San Francisco Symphony, the Falla Guitar Trio, the World Guitar Ensemble and his father, the composer/pianist/vocalist Terry Riley. Along the way, he completed various compositional projects, including those commissioned by the Carnegie Hall Corporation, the American Composers Forum, and the New York Guitar Festival. Riley's diverse work now focuses on his own compositions, improvisation, and contemporary classical repertoire. Recent performance highlights include Carnegie Hall, London’s Barbican Theatre, the All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival, the Big Ears Festival, and soloing with the Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra at Kimmel Center. Over the years, Riley has performed throughout Europe, Canada, Latin America and the US, both as a soloist and in various all-star ensembles. In 2010 Riley relocated to Brooklyn NY, where in the space of one year he was greeted by a tornado, a blizzard, an earthquake, and a hurricane. In this new locale, he can be frequently heard  performing at such venues as Le Poisson Rouge and Barbès, either in solo form or with various collaborators. Two such projects are the duo Pluck, with the fabulous Chinese guzheng (zither) virtuoso and vocalist Wu Fei, and the duo SuperBalls! with percussionist David Cossin (Bang on a Can, Sting). In January 2011, Riley's fourth recording of original compositions, entitled Stream of Gratitude, was released on Tzadik Records.

COMPOSITIONS                                                Gyan Riley Links     ~ ~ ~     Works by Genre    ~ ~ ~    Gyan Riley on Gyan Riley
Sinspiration, guitar (1997) [from "Food for the Bearded", 2002]
Food for the Bearded, guitar (1999)
Happychap, guitar (1999)
Spiralysis, guitar (1999) [inspired by the music of Dusan Bogdanovic]
Yubalation, guitar, viola and percussion (2000) [from "Food for the Bearded", 2002]
Eyes of Orion, guitar (2001)
Sonata Quasifantokastica (3 mvts), guitar (2001)
    - Tokata
    - Fantasy for Hoda
    - Quasitremelodo
Mobettabutta (in 3 mvts), guitar ensemble (2002)
Drift, guitar and piano (2002) [co-composed/improvised with Terry Riley] [from "Food for the Bearded", 2002]
Balama, voice andguitar improvisation [traditional, arr. by Gyan & Terry Riley] (2002) [from "Food for the Bearded", 2002]
La Cigale, guitar and piano (2004) [co-composed/improvised with Terry Riley]
Zonata (3 mvts), guitar (2005) [composed for Zoran Dukic]
    - Spinning In Self-Imposed Exile, guitar
    - Uspavanka (Lullaby) for Téa, guitar
    - Tohm Tan, guitar
Melismantra, violin, guitar and drums (2005)
The Changes Stay the Same, guitar (2006)
Herbie Moonshine's Last Dance, [multiple guitar tracks] (2007)
Progression of the Ancestors (4 mvts), guitar, viola, percussion (2007)
    - Invocation
    - Progression of the Ancestors   
    - Steps of the Forgotten
    - Majestical
Code Changes, guitar (2007)
The Wane of More, song cycle, soprano/whistle and ensemble (2007)
Four Etudes for the Right Hand, guitar (2008)
    - The Odd Arpeggio, guitar
    - The Inner Voice, guitar
    - Trillémolo, guitar
    - Ipick, guitar
Irican, guitar (2008)
Minor Distractions, electro-acoustic ensemble (2009)
Stream of Gratitude (4 mvts), guitar (2009)
    - Prelude
    - Fugue
    - Sarabande
    - Gigue
Smooger Beer, guitar, violin and percussion (2009)
Lüb du Náched, guitar, viola and percussion (2009)
Big Daddy Shuffle, guitar, violin and percussion (2010)
When Heron Sings Blue, guitar, violin and percussion (2010)
Catskill Beaver, guitar and guzheng (2011)
Zectron, guitar and percussion (2011)


WORKS BY GENRE                                                     Gyan Riley Links    ~ ~ ~    Gyan Riley on Gyan Riley      ~ top of page ~
Chamber
Yubalation, guitar, viola and percussion (2000) [from "Food for the Bearded", 2002]
Mobettabutta (in 3 mvts), guitar ensemble (2002)
Drift, guitar and piano (2002) [co-composed/improvised with Terry Riley] [from "Food for the Bearded", 2002]
La Cigale, guitar and piano (2004) [co-composed/improvised with Terry Riley]
Melismantra, violin, guitar and drums (2005)
Herbie Moonshine's Last Dance, [multiple guitar tracks] (2007)
Progression of the Ancestors (4 mvts), guitar, viola, percussion (2007)
    - Invocation
    - Progression of the Ancestors   
    - Steps of the Forgotten
    - Majestical
Minor Distractions, electro-acoustic ensemble (2009)
Smooger Beer, guitar, violin and percussion (2009)
Lüb du Náched, guitar, viola and percussion (2009)
Big Daddy Shuffle, guitar, violin and percussion (2010)
When Heron Sings Blue, guitar, violin and percussion (2010)
Catskill Beaver, guitar and guzheng (2011)
Zectron, guitar and percussion (2011)

Guitar (solo)
Sinspiration, guitar (1997) [from "Food for the Bearded", 2002]
Food for the Bearded, guitar (1999)
Happychap, guitar (1999)
Spiralysis, guitar (1999) [inspired by the music of Dusan Bogdanovic]
Eyes of Orion, guitar (2001)
Sonata Quasifantokastica (3 mvts), guitar (2001)
    - Tokata
    - Fantasy for Hoda
    - Quasitremelodo
Zonata (3 mvts), guitar (2005) [composed for Zoran Dukic]
    - Spinning In Self-Imposed Exile, guitar
    - Uspavanka (Lullaby) for Téa, guitar
    - Tohm Tan, guitar
The Changes Stay the Same, guitar (2006)
Code Changes, guitar (2007)
Four Etudes for the Right Hand, guitar (2008)
    - The Odd Arpeggio, guitar
    - The Inner Voice, guitar
    - Trillémolo, guitar
    - Ipick, guitar
Irican, guitar (2008)
Stream of Gratitude (4 mvts), guitar (2009)
    - Prelude
    - Fugue
    - Sarabande
    - Gigue

Vocal
Balama, voice andguitar improvisation [traditional, arr. by Gyan & Terry Riley] (2002) [from "Food for the Bearded", 2002]
The Wane of More, song cycle, soprano/whistle and ensemble (2007)


GYAN RILEY  LINKS                                                     Works by Genre    ~ ~ ~    Gyan Riley on Gyan Riley     ~ top of page ~
All In The Family (Derk Richardson, SF Gate)
For Gyan Riley, Labels Don’t Apply (San Fransisco Examiner)
Gyan Riley (Ari Messer, San Francisco Bay Guardian)
Gyan Riley: Food for the Bearded (François Couture, Rovi)
Gyan Riley - Interview (Nylon Review/New York City Classical Guitar Society Newsletter)
Gyan Riley's Guitar Night at the Club (Jason Victor Serinus, San Francisco Classical Voice)
Let’s Ask Gyan Riley (Polly Moller, Sequenza21)
"Pandaemonium" at Other Minds (Joshua Kosman, SF Gate)
A Rare Bird (Tom Chandler, East Bay Express)
Rising Son - Classical Guitarist Gyan Riley Expands the Repertoire (Stephen Dick, Acoustic Guitar)
Sounds Heard: Gyan Riley - Stream of Gratitude (Molly Sheridan, NewMusicBox)

Composer's website    . . .   contact Gyan Riley:  here

Gyan Riley @ Answers.com
Gyan Riley @ Carnegie Hall Commissions
Gyan Riley @ CD Baby
Gyan Riley @ Classical Archives
Gyan Riley @ composition:today
Gyan Riley @ Facebook
Gyan Riley @ Robert Friedman
Gyan Riley @ Guitarra Magazine
Gyan Riley @ InstantEncore
Gyan Riley @ LinkedIn
Gyan Riley @ Long Island Guitar Festival
Gyan Riley @ MySpaceMusic
Gyan Riley @ The New York Times
Gyan Riley @ Other Minds
Gyan Riley @ ReverbNation
Gyan Riley @ You Ain't No Picasso

Publisher
Gyan Riley @ Composer's website

Streaming Audio
Gyan Riley @ Composer's website
Gyan Riley @ Carnegie Hall Commissions
Gyan Riley @ CD Baby
Gyan Riley @ Classical Archives
Gyan Riley @ KDFC/Dianne Nicolini's Blog: A Chat with Gyan Riley
Gyan Riley @ last.fm
Gyan Riley @ MySpaceMusic
Gyan Riley @ NPRmusic
Gyan Riley @ Rhapsody.com
Gyan Riley @ WNYC/New Sounds: Gyan Riley's Guitar

Recordings
Gyan Riley @ Composer's website
Gyan Riley @ ArkivMusic
Gyan Riley @ CD Baby
Gyan Riley @ ClassicsOnline
Gyan Riley @ Discogs
Gyan Riley @ Tzadik

Video
Gyan Riley @ YouTube
Gyan Riley @ Google Video

                                                                                                                                                                                      ~ top of page ~
Gyan Riley on Gyan Riley: A Chat with Gyan Riley/KDFC (streaming audio)
Gyan Riley, composerComposers Speak on the Web at Pytheas
                            ~ click on composer picture to listen ~







Gyan Riley on Gyan Riley: Gyan Riley's Guitar/WNYC - New Sounds (streaming audio)
Gyan Riley, composerComposers Speak on the Web at Pytheas
                            ~ click on composer picture to listen ~





. . . and check out more    Composers Speak on the Web    at Pytheas

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