About
Riley Barker is an Australian-American collaborative pianist, composer, and teaching artist. Classically trained, Riley is a highly versatile musician, having performed across genres as a soloist, chamber musician, collaborative pianist, orchestral pianist, and ensemble keyboardist at venues ranging from the backs of converted moving trucks to Carnegie Hall. He is an active festival artist, and has performed domestically at Bowdoin International Chamber Music Festival, Collaborative Piano Institute, and Kinhaven Young Artist Seminar as well as internationally at Schubert Institute (Vienna, Austria) and Zodiac Music Festival (Nice, France). He earned his MM in collaborative piano from The New England Conservatory of Music with Vivian Weilerstein and Cameron Stowe and previously studied with Jeanne Kierman Fischer at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music. He is currently a fellow at the McGill x Université de Montréal Piano Vocal Residency Program and is a mentee of Michael McMahon and Francis Perron.
Collaborative Pianist
In Montréal, Riley works as an accompanist for both McGill and UdeM’s vocal studios as well as independently with instrumental students. He is available for bookings as both a vocal accompanist and instrumental collaborator.
Teaching artist
While at McGillxUdeM, Riley will be refining his knowledge of German, French, and Italian while attending masterclasses with distinguished artists of lied interpretation and opera coaching. Prospective students please inquire directly about lessons via the contact form or email.
Composer
Barker’s compositional oeuvre includes a string sextet, two piano trios, works for fusion ensembles, dozens of piano miniatures, and instrumental and vocal arrangements. Most recently, he completed a cycle of six songs for soprano and piano entitled “almost, always.” His work as a composer and concert organizer seeks to subvert the conventional timbral paradigms and cultural isolation of classical music and build bridges between audiences of diverse genres.
Looking for a pianist?
You can reach me at my work email: rileybarkerpiano@pm.me
Pricing and repertoire below: