Gyan Riley, born in California in 1977, is an aspiring guitarist/composer. He completed his undergraduate studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying under the direction of David Tanenbaum, and received a Masters Degree at the Conservatory under Dusan Bogdanovic. Gyan is the first graduate level guitarist ever to be awarded a full scholarship from the San Francisco Conservatory. In March 1999, he received First Prize in the Portland Guitar Festival Competition.Gyan was also awarded First Prize in the San Francisco Conservatory Guitar Concerto Competition in February of 2001. He performed in the Bremen Musikfest '98 in Bremen, Germany and the New American Music Festival '98 in Sacramento, California, both as a soloist and a duo partner with David Tanenbaum. Gyan is also featured on Tanenbaum's New Albion label CD entitled The Book of Abbeyozzud. Gyan performed piano-guitar duos with his father Terry Riley at the Muenchner Klaviersommer '99 festival in Munich.He was commissioned by the Elaine Kaufman Cultural Center to write a solo guitar work for Jorge Caballero's February 2000 performance at Merkin Concert Hall in New York. Gyan also made his New York debut appearance at Merkin Hall in January of 2000, performing solo and ensemble works with Terry Riley and the All-Stars. Also in January, Gyan appeared as guitarist for the Tracy Silverman Trio at Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall in Istanbul, Turkey. In July of 2000, Gyan performed solo and in a duo with Dusan Bogdanovic at the Festival Sitar-Guitar in Rome.In January of 2001, Gyan played in the American premiere of John Adams' El Nino, with David Tanenbaum, soprano Dawn Upshaw, and the San Francisco Symphony. Gyan also performed in the Other Minds Festival in March 2001. In June 2001 Gyan appeared again with the All-Stars at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London as part of the Meltdown Festival. The band also toured Italy and the U.S. in Spring 2002.Gyan recently gave concerts of original solo works at the GFA 2001 Festival in La Jolla, California, and at the Planet Tree Festival in London. In August, Gyan's debut CD of original solo guitar works will be released on the New Albion label. Gyan is also currently the artistic director for the San Francisco Classical Guitar Society.

Food for the Bearded Debut solo CD of original works, plus premiere recording of Piedad by Terry Riley, New Albion Label. Gyan's debut CD of original works displays a wide range of compositional and improvisational abilities. The music is harmonically rich and rhythmically compelling. Early influences of jazz and Indian music blend with later-absorbed classical and Spanish traditions, all of which are funneled through a unique use of the idiomatic resources of the guitar.

"It is not only an extraordinary capacity to interpret a wide variety of idioms with ease and integrity, depth of expression, inventive and adventurous improvising, interesting, intricate and deeply felt compositions; but also more subtle personal and spiritual qualities that make Gyan a unique and exceptional artist."

Dusan Bogdanovic