Malcolm Riley

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Malcolm Riley is a composer and author most associated for his work as a scholar of the work of Percy Whitlock. Malcolm Riley was born in Northallerton North Yorkshire in 1960 and went to school at Granby High School in Harrogate. He won an organ scholarship to Christ's College, Cambridge in 1978 and, after graduating, taught for three years in Bristol before being appointed Director of Music at Cranbrook School in 1985. He has been Music Director of Cranbrook Choral since 1987 and he is secretary of the Percy Whitlock Trust. His biography of Whitlock was published to critical acclaim in 1998 and he has recently recorded a disc of Whitlock's light orchestral music with the RTE Light Orchestra in Dublin for the Marco Polo music label. He is a frequent reviewer for The [[Gramaphone magazine].

Malcolm Riley has also composed and arranged. His most recent composition, De Temporbus Canticum (`Of the Seasons We Sing'), was commissioned by Cranbrook Choral to celebrate the Millennium and was given its first performance in December 2000. His other works include a concerto for harp and oboe and his orchestral arrangement of Brahms E minor Cello Sonata was given its first performance by Maidstone Symphony Orchestra, which commissioned the work, conducted by Brian Wright, in May 2000. Recent engagements have included organ recitals at York Minster, Leeds Parish Church and Benenden Church.