This page needs JavaScript activated to work.

Colin Currie

Percussion
Visiting Professor of Modern Ensembles, Royal Academy of Music, London
Associate Artist, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Artistic Director, Colin Currie Group
Ambassador, Chamber Music Scotland

  • Colin Currie is a solo and chamber artist who champions new music at the highest level, hailed as being “at the summit of percussion performance today” (Gramophone). Currie is the soloist of choice for many of today’s foremost composers and conductors, performing with leading orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Philharmonia Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestras.

Read more
  • A dynamic and adventurous soloist, Currie’s commitment to commissioning and creating new music was recognised in 2015 by the Royal Philharmonic Society who awarded him the Instrumentalist Award. Currie has premiered works by composers such as Steve Reich, Elliott Carter, Louis Andriessen, HK Gruber, Sir James MacMillan, Jennifer Higdon, Brett Dean, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Helen Grime, Kalevi Aho, Julia Wolfe, Andy Akiho, Andrew Norman and most recently Bruno Mantovani, Gavin Higgins, Nicole Lizée and Danny Elfman. 


    Concerto highlights of the 2024/25 season include James MacMillan Veni Veni Emmanuel with the Hallé Orchestra and English Chamber Orchestra; Danny Elfman Percussion Concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (with whom he recorded the piece on Sony Classical in 2024); Andy Akiho Percussion Concerto with Brussels Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, and BBC Scottish Symphony (in its UK premiere); Tan Dun Water Concerto with the London Philharmonic; Andrew Norman Switch with the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra; and the UK premiere of Olga Neuwirth Percussion Concerto with BBC Scottish Symphony. Elsewhere, Currie will unveil a new solo recital programme at Wigmore Hall including the world premiere of a work by Dani Howard. The Colin Currie Quartet perform at King’s Place and Quilter Hall Wells, premiering new works by Anna Meredith and Ben Nobuto.


    Currie’s conducting career launched with the Colin Currie Group, which he led in performances of music by Steve Reich. He has gone on to conduct the London Symphony Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, Asko/Schoenberg Ensemble, Britten Sinfonia, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Lapland Chamber Orchestra and Grafenegg Academy Orchestra. This season, Currie conducts the Hallé in a Philip Glass Festival, Asko/Schoenberg Ensemble on a Dutch tour in a programme celebrating Steve Reich, São Paulo Symphony Music Academy, Brighton Philharmonic and ensembles at the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.


    The Colin Currie Group was formed by Currie in 2006 to celebrate the music of Steve Reich, making its five-star debut at the BBC Proms. Since then, with Reich’s personal endorsement, Currie and his virtuosic ensemble have performed at many venues and festivals internationally. In 2021 they premiered a substantial new work by Reich, Traveler’s Prayer, which was commissioned by the Zaterdag Matinee at the Concertgebouw, Royal Festival Hall, Elbphilharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, Carnegie Hall, CAL Performances and Tokyo Opera City. This season, the Group will perform an all-Reich programme at the Milan Conservatory including Reich Drumming, which they performed last season at Festival Présences in Paris.


    In October 2017, Currie partnered with LSO Live to launch Colin Currie Records, a platform for recording his diverse projects. He has since released three Colin Currie Group discs including Steve Reich Drumming, commended as “thunderously exciting” (The Times), a duo disc with Håkan Hardenberger, and an album of HK Gruber Percussion Concertos with the BBC Philharmonic, Juanjo Mena and John Storgårds. The most recent release on Colin Currie Records, Music for 18 Musicians, was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and has received widespread critical acclaim, lauded as “a sublime and reflective recording” (Gramophone, Editor’s Choice July 2023).


    Currie is Associate Artist at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Visiting Professor of Modern Ensembles at the Royal Academy of Music, and Ambassador of Chamber Music Scotland.

    Colin Currie plays Zildjian cymbals and is a Marimba One Artist.

    2024/25 season / 625 words. Not to be altered without permission.

Performances

View more
Close
Loading performances...

Livestreams & Broadcasts

Concertgebouw Amsterdam | October 2021 
Steve Reich: Tehillim; Traveler's Prayer; Music for 18 Musicians 
Colin Currie Group, Synergy Vocals
Colin Currie (conductor)
Click to watch on YouTube


Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra | November 2020 
Tan Dun: Water Concerto for Water Percussion and Orchestra
Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor)
Click to watch on YLE Areena


Scottish Chamber Orchestra | May 2021 
Einojuhani Rautavaara: Incantations
James MacMillan (conductor)
Click to watch on YouTube

Concerto repertoire

For symphony orchestra or chamber orchestra


Kalevi Aho
Sieidi


Andy Akiho
Percussion Concerto 


John Corigliano
Conjurer


Joe Duddell
Ruby


Tan Dun
Concerto for Water Percussion


Danny Elfman
Percussion Concerto 


Peter Eötvös
Speaking Drums


Helen Grime
Percussion Concerto 


HK Gruber
Into the open... 
Rough Music


Jennifer Higdon
Percussion Concerto


Simon Holt
a table of noises


Robert Honstein
Juvenalia 


Nicole Lizee
Blurr is the Colour of My True Love's Eyes (premiere 2022)


Tania León
New concerto (premiere 2025)


Steven Mackey
Time Release


James MacMillan
Veni, Veni Emmanuel 
Percussion Concerto No. 2  


Bruno Mantovani
Allegro barbaro 


Dave Maric
Towards Future's Embrace

Olga Neuwirth
Trurliade-Zone Zero


Andrew Norman
Switch 


Einojuhani Rautavaara
Incantations


Joey Roukens
Percussion Concerto


Christopher Rouse
Der gerettete Alberich


Mark-Anthony Turnage
Martland Memorial 


Julia Wolfe
Body Language


Iannis Xenakis
Aïs (baritone, percussion and orchestra)


For mixed ensemble or string ensemble


Louis Andriessen
Tapdance


Luke Bedford
Staggered Nocturne (premiere 2022)


Elliott Carter
Two Controversies and a Conversation


Joe Duddell
Snowblind 


Philippe Hurel
Quatre Variations (vibraphone and ensemble)


Dave Maric
Lifetimes 


Kurt Schwertsik
Now you hear me, now you don't (string orchestra)

Conductors

Marin Alsop
Andrey Boreyko
Dougie Boyd
Martyn Brabbins
Baldur Brönnimann
Alpesh Chauhan
Simon Crawford-Phillips
David Danzmeyer
Thomas Dausgaard
Tan Dun
JoAnn Falletta
Thierry Fischer
Michael Francis
Fabien Gabel
James Gaffigan
Edward Gardner
HK Gruber
Giancarlo Guerrero
Matthew Halls
Håkan Hardenberger
Miguel Harth-Bedoya
Antony Hermus
Manfred Honeck
Pietari Inkinen
George Jackson
Carlos Kalmar
Francois Leleux
Hannu Lintu
Brad Lubman
Christian Macelaru
Sir James MacMillan
Bruno Mantovani
Juanjo Mena
David Alan Miller
Gemma New
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Eva Ollikainen
Sakari Oramo
Andrés Orozco-Estrada
Ruth Reinhardt
Andre de Ridder
David Robertson
François-Xavier Roth
Peter Rundel
Kwame Ryan
Donald Runnicles
Yutaka Sado
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Clemens Schuldt
Alexander Shelley
Leonard Slatkin
Dima Slobodeniouk
Chloé van Soeterstède
Tugan Sokhiev
Thomas Søndergård
Carl St Clair
John Storgårds
Frank Strobel
Rebecca Tong
Bramwell Tovey
Osmo Vänskä
Gilbert Varga
Ilan Volkov 
Joshua Weilerstein
Ludwig Wicki
John Wilson

Colin Currie Quartet

The Colin Currie Quartet was formed in 2018 to present the boldest and most exciting music written for percussion quartet. Comprising Colin Currie, Owen Gunnell, Adrian Spillett and Sam Walton, the Quartet performs a variety of adventurous works, centering on those by Steve Reich and composers influenced by him. As some of the world’s leading solo, symphonic and chamber percussionists, each player of the Quartet brings a different and insightful slant to the art of chamber percussion performance to collectively present “a sonic display of startling magnificence” (Observer).


Recent highlights include performances at the BBC Proms, Wigmore Hall, Paris Présences Festival, GAIDA Festival, East Neuk Festival, Stoller Hall, Norfolk & Norwich Festival, Dublin Chamber Music Festival, NCPA Beijing, Toolbox Hong Kong, Nagakute Cultural Center, NCPA Beijing and across the UK.


During the 23/24 season, the Colin Currie Quartet present a new programme at the Wigmore Hall, perform at the Royal Welsh College and give a Scottish tour supported by Chamber Music Scotland. They premiere new works by Guillaume Connesson, Anna Meredith, Freya Waley-Cohen, Ben Nobuto and Aileen Sweeney. 


Click to visit Film Gallery


Programme 1
Andy Akiho Pillar I
Dave Maric Nascent Forms
Freya Waley-Cohen New work (premiere 23/24) 
interval
Steve Reich Mallet Quartet 
Amy Beth Kirsten May The Devil Take Me
Andy Akiho Pillar IV 


Programme 2 
John Luther Adams Qilyuan
Rolf Wallin Twine
David Lang So Called Laws of Nature Part 2
interval
Steve Reich Drumming Part 1
Connor Shafran Continental Divide
Julia Wolfe Dark Full Ride


Programme 3 
Michael Gordon XY (Colin solo drums)
David Lang So Called Laws of Nature (quartet)
interval
David Lang String of Pearls (Colin solo marimba)
Julia Wolfe Dark Full Ride (quartet)


Programme 4
David Horne Pulse (Colin solo)
Aileen Sweeney Starburst
Ben Nobuto New work for percussion quartet
Interval
Steve Reich Mallet Quartet
Anna Meredith Dodgem Studies 


“A sonic display of startling magnificence… The centrepiece was Drumming, tuned bongos impeccably synchronised, slipping and looping in and out of phase...  Julia Wolfe’s Dark Full Ride, crackling, eruptive, dangerous, made a noisy and spectacular finale.” Observer


"I have previously described Currie and his friends as daredevils and super-heroes, for their bravura performances of Xenakis." Bachtrack


"In the opening number for wooden frame drums, John Luther Adams’ Qilyaun, the performers stood at all four corners of the auditorium balcony, sending out waves of unruly noise through rolling crescendos and decrescendos... at times it felt as if we were caught in a storm swirling round a vast open landscape, while at others a more synchronised regular beat filled the room with a sense of ritual." Arts Desk

Solo Recital

Solo Percussion Recital


Elliott Carter Figment V
Per Norgaard Fire Over Water
Toshio Hosokawa Reminiscence
Bruno Mantovani Moi, jeu...
Interval
Iannis Xenakis Rebonds B
Karlheinz Stockhausen Vibra-Elufa
Rolf Wallin Realismos Mágicos


"His words set expectations high, and his performance exceeded them…. Currie’s white mallets blurred as they raced over bongos and tom-toms, both arms and one foot maintaining distinct rhythms. He moved with taut physicality and fierce focus, tweaking each limb’s pattern and prominence, phasing them in and out… He bowed with a smile, having rocked the house and raised the roof."
Boston Globe, December 2016


"a blistering and mesmeric performance... He erupted onto the stage, launching his programme to explosive effect with Per Norgards’ Fire over Water... The relative peace of Hosakawa’s Remembrance evoked an altogether different world, as did the wonderful mercurial qualities of both Stockhausen’s Vibra-Elufa and Ralf Wallin’s dazzling miniatures, Realismos magicos. And that was Currie’s playing: magical and dazzling to eye and ear, climaxing in the classic drum battle that is Xenakis’ Rebonds B."
Glasgow Herald, November 2016


“An evening of wonders at Wigmore Hall… Rolling tremolandos gave an effect of aural marbling, with Currie’s dexterity and control of dynamic fluctuation as awe-inspiring as the piece itself."
Times


“Currie played this virtuoso half-hour of music on instruments from tom-toms to south Asian temple blocks from memory... Currie’s virtuosity energised all and the young audience was hugely enthusiastic.”
Financial Times

Chamber projects

Colin Currie & Håkan Hardenberger
Trumpet and Percussion Duo


Joe Duddell Catch
Tobias Brostrom Dream Variations 
Toshio Hosokawa Reminiscence (solo percussion)
Toru Takemitsu Paths (solo trumpet)
HK Gruber Passing the Buck 
Brett Dean ...the scene of the crime...


“A breathtaking performance… Both players exhibited stunning virtuosity, though always at the service of musical effect, never for its own sake.” San Francisco Classical Voice


Colin Currie & JACK Quartet
programme includes: 


Suzanne Farrin Hypersea (percussion & string quartet)
Andy Akiho Aluminous (percussion & string quartet)
Steve Martland Starry Night (percussion & string quartet)


Colin Currie & Huw Watkins (percussion & piano)


Dave Maric Predicaments
Britten Holiday Diary (solo piano)
Joe Duddell Parallel Lines
Interval
Hannah Lash C
Tansy Davies Dark Ground (solo percussion)
Helen Grime Harp of the North (solo piano)
Huw Watkins Seven Inventions


Colin Currie & Nicholas Hodges (percussion & piano)


Birtwistle Intrada for piano and percussion
Stockhausen Klavierstück V (piano)
Birtwistle Variations from the Golden Mountain (piano)
Feldman King of Denmark (percussion)
Birtwistle Intrada for piano and percussion
Interval
Stockhausen Kontakte (piano & percussion)


“The combined genius of pianist Nicholas Hodges and percussionist Colin Currie, armed with a battery of percussion and piano, made thrilling theatre out of it, amplifying the electronic cues with a visceral immediacy that brought every moment to life. The entire presentation was directional, engaging and unquestionable proof that Stockhausen was not only onto something, but way ahead of the game.” Scotsman


Colin Currie & Sam Walton (percussion), Pavel Kolesnikov & Samson Tsoy (piano)


Ravel: Rhapsody Espanol M.54 for two pianos and two percussion
Rolf Wallin: Realismos mágicos (solo marimba)
Piano duo work
Interval
Bryce Dessner: Tromp Miniature (solo marimba)
Piano duo work
Bartók: Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion

Colin Currie is at the summit of percussion performance today.

Gramophone

...the work confirms Currie’s status as an athlete and a star, as well as an outstanding musician.

Guardian

The soloist was Colin Currie, surely the world’s finest and most daring percussionist.

Spectator

Downloads

All images

  • N
  • D
  • Y

Intermusica represents Colin Currie worldwide

Catherine Gibbs
Associate Director
+44 20 7608 9946
cgibbs@intermusica.com

Lucy Evans
Assistant Artist Manager
+44 20 7608 9940
levans@intermusica.com

All artists

Chansonnier

HK Gruber

Counter-tenor

Tim Mead

Harpsichord

Richard Egarr

Piano accompanist

Roger Vignoles

Saxophone

Jess Gillam

Contralto

Avery Amereau