Terry Riley

Terry Riley (born 24 June 1935 in Colfax, California) is an American composer associated with the minimalist school.

Life

Born in Colfax, California, Riley studied at Shasta College, San Francisco State University, and the San Francisco Conservatory before earning an MA in composition at the University of California, Berkeley, studying with Seymour Shifrin. His most influential teacher, however, was the late Pandit Pran Nath, a master of Indian classical voice, who also taught La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela. Riley made numerous trips to India over the course of their association to study and to accompany him on tabla, tambura, and voice. Throughout the sixties he travelled frequently around Europe as well, taking in musical influences and supporting himself by playing in piano bars, until he joined the Mills College faculty in 1971 to teach Indian classical music.

Related Topics:
Colfax, California - Shasta College - San Francisco State University - San Francisco Conservatory - University of California, Berkeley - Seymour Shifrin - Pandit Pran Nath - La Monte Young - Marian Zazeela - Tabla - Tambura - Piano bar - Mills College

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Also during the sixties were the famous "All-Night Concerts", during which Riley would perform mostly improvised music from evening until sunrise, using an old organ harmonium ("with a vacuum cleaner motor blower blowing into the ballasts") and tape-delayed saxophone. (When he finally wanted a break, after hours of playing, he would play back looped saxophone fragments recorded throughout the evening.) He continued to put on these concerts for several years, to which people would come with sleeping bags, hammocks, and their whole families.

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Riley began his longtime association with the Kronos Quartet by meeting founder David Harrington while at Mills, and over the course of his career has composed 13 string quartets for them, in addition to a few other works including string quartet. He wrote his first orchestral piece, Jade Palace, in 1991, and has continued to pursue that avenue, with several commissioned orchestral compositions following; Riley is also currently a performing and teaching Indian raga vocalist and solo pianist.

Related Topics:
Kronos Quartet - David Harrington - String quartet - Raga

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