Riley Conley has been the Principal Trumpet of the CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra since 2022 and was formerly the Instructor of Trumpet at Denison University until moving to New York. A native of Pennsylvania, his formative musical years were spent studying trumpet with Robert Dolwick and piano with Brenda Dolwick. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music degree from The Colburn School, where he studied under Jack Sutte (2nd Trumpet with The Cleveland Orchestra) and James Wilt (Associate Principal Trumpet with the Los Angeles Philharmonic), respectively.
Primarily an orchestral musician, Mr. Conley is based in Buffalo, NY, and performs throughout the tri-state region of New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. He has appeared regularly with ensembles such as the Buffalo Philharmonic, Syracuse Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic, Youngstown Symphony, Cleveland Pops, Akron Symphony, and Canton Symphony, among others. In the summer of 2022, he made his international debut as Guest Principal Trumpet with the World Doctors Orchestra in Anguilla. Outside of the orchestra, he also performs with the Cleveland Silent Film Festival as a cornetist, recreating the music of numerous silent-era filmmakers, including Alfred Hitchcock, Buster Keaton, and Ernst Lubitsch.
Summer engagements include performing with the Lake Tahoe Music Festival Orchestra and fellowships at the Aspen Music Festival, National Music Festival, Chosen Vale International Trumpet Seminar, Cincinnati Symphony Brass Institute, and the Pierre Monteux School. His additional studies have included mentorship from trumpeters Jack Brndiar, Lyle Steelman, Raymond Mase, Kevin Cobb, and Micah Wilkinson.
His early musical passion was driven by encouragement from Pennsylvania band directors Diann Smith, John Roden, and the late John Marszalek, a widely respected musician, educator, and inductee of the Pennsylvania Music Education Association's Hall of Fame.
Beyond his performance career, Riley is also a hobbyist composer of trumpet literature. His first composition, Three Miniatures for Solo Trumpet (recorded by Jack Sutte), was completed in 2018, and his book Lyrical Etudes for Trumpet was published in 2023.
Riley Conley is a Vincent Bach Trumpet Artist.
