Colin Currie has curated a weekend of events together with The Glasshouse, UK, to celebrate the 90th birthday of Steve Reich. Planned to coincide exactly with Reich’s 90th birthday, Colin adopts the role of conductor and percussionist across 8 concerts, talks and events between Friday 2 October 2026 and Sunday 4 October 2026. Saturday evening’s performance of Music for 18 Musicians with the Colin Currie Group will be live-streamed on The Glasshouse website, and concerts with Colin conducting the Royal Northern Sinfonia and BBC Scottish Symphony will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on Sunday.
Also to celebrate Reich’s birthday, on Saturday 3 October, Mezzo and medici.tv will broadcast a special film of the Colin Currie Group’s concert at this summer’s Edinburgh International Festival including the world premiere performance of Reich’s In All Your Ways, also broadcast later on Sky Arts.
Schedule of events:
Friday - Colin talks to Tom Service – 6.30pm
Friday - Colin conducts the Royal Northern Sinfonia in Reich’s The Desert Music, Clapping Music, Double Sextet and Runner – 7.30pm
Friday - Colin Currie Quartet perform Reich’s Drumming Part 1 and Julia Wolfe’s Dark, Full Ride – 10pm
Saturday - Colin conducts the Royal Northern Sinfonia in Reich’s Radio Rewrite, Pulse and Eight Lines – 5pm
Saturday - Colin Currie Quartet perform Reich’s Mallet Quartet and Aileen Sweeney’s Starburst – 6.30pm
Saturday - Colin Currie Group perform Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians, Quartet and Music for Pieces of Wood – 7.30pm
Saturday - Colin Currie talks to Tom Service - 9.45pm
Sunday - Colin conducts the Royal Northern Sinfonia in Reich’s Different Trains, Bryce Dessner’s Murder Ballades and Tromp Miniature – 3pm. Joined by Bryce Dessner (electric guitar)
Sunday - Colin conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in Reich’s The Four Sections, Electric Counterpoint, and Three Movements and Variations for Winds, Strings and Keyboards – 6pm
Sunday - Colin Currie Group perform Reich’s Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ – 8pm
Saturday & Sunday - Colin Currie Group perform Reich’s Phase | Pattern | Pulse in an immersive listening experience with Loss><Gain
Live Broadcasts:
Saturday 9am - Tom Service interviews Steve Reich. Listen here.
Sunday 3pm - Colin conducts the Royal Northern Sinfonia (live broadcast). Listen here.
Sunday 4.30 pm - Colin conducts Royal Northern Sinfonia. Listen here.
Sunday 6pm - Colin conducts BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (live broadcast). Listen here.