Colin Currie is a dynamic and adventurous soloist whose commitment to commissioning and creating new music was recognised in 2015 by the Royal Philharmonic Society who awarded him the Instrumentalist Award. From his earliest years Currie forged a pioneering path in creating new music for percussion, winning the Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist Award in 2000 and receiving a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award in 2005. Currie has premièred works by composers such as Steve Reich, Elliott Carter, H K Gruber, Mark-Anthony Turnage, James MacMillan, Jennifer Higdon, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Helen Grime, Einojuhani Rautavaara and Kalevi Aho. Currie’s orchestral engagements have included appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Concertgebouworkest, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. He performs solo recitals and chamber music with partners including Håkan Hardenberger, the JACK Quartet, Huw Watkins, Nicolas Hodges and his own Colin Currie Quartet, for performances at venues and festivals such as the Southbank Centre, Edinburgh Festival, BBC Proms, Lucerne Festival, Vienna Konzerthaus, de Doelen Rotterdam and Wigmore Hall.
Currie’s dynamic ensemble the Colin Currie Group was formed in 2006 to celebrate the music of Steve Reich and made its acclaimed début at the BBC Proms. Since then, with Reich’s personal endorsement, Currie and his ensemble have taken on the role of ambassadors of Drumming, which they have recorded and performed internationally, with future plans to première a new work by Reich. Currie is artist in association at London’s Southbank Centre where he performs every season, and artistic curator of the Grafenegg Academy.
