Home
Calendar
List of Works
Music on Bandcamp
Press Photos
Career Narrative
Bio and Resume
Links to Music
Experimental Instruments
Contact Richard Marriott
Club Foot Orchestra
RM at Black Rock City, August 2013 Legong, Dance of the Virgins at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, July 20, 2013. Gamelan Sekar Jaya, Club Foot Orchestra SF Jazz FestivalClub Foot Orchestra performing The Complete Metropolis, at SFJAZZ, April 14, 2013
The Passion of Leyla, A Chamber Opera Metropolis Concerto for Violin and Wind Ensemble: Alisa Rose with the Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble, February 20, 2016 Orquestra Voadora performs for 100K people at Rio Carnaval, February 9, 2016 Divide Light

BIOGRAPHY

120 word bio

Richard Marriott founded Club Foot Orchestra in 1983 and serves as artistic director for the ensemble. His composition credits include the feature film RISING SUN, the Academy Award nominee SILVER INTO GOLD, 8 evening-length scores for choreographers Della Davidson, Yin Mei, and Yoshiko Chuma, five operas including DIVIDE LIGHT (with visual artist Lesley Dill) and PASSION OF LEYLA (with librettist Ruth Margraff), incidental music for nine stage works, scores for thirteen independent films, and festival works for Kenny Wollesen's Himalayas, Gamelan Sekar Jaya and Gamelan Dharma Swara. He was also a staff composer for Atari Games. He is a recipient of grants from the NEA (music and musical theater), MAP, Rockefeller, Zellerbach, among others.


180 word bio

Richard Marriott began his study of the trombone at the age of 10 and added other wind instruments and voice in high school. He was part of a flourishing Minneapolis Free Jazz scene in the 1970s. After studying at Minnesota with Dominick Argento and UCSD with Pauline Oliveros, he studied Indian music with Ali Akbar Khan, shakuhachi with Masayuki Koga and synthesizer design with Serge Tchrepnin. He later designed novel synthesizers for groups ranging from The Residents to Captain Beefheart. He composed music for Atari Games. He is the founder and artistic director of the Club Foot Orchestra, an ensemble best known for live music performance with silent films. His collaborators on other projects include choreographers Della Davidson, Yoshiko Chuma, Yin Mei; Balinese composers Made Subandi, Nyoman Windha; New York percussionist Kenny Wollesen; rock musician Snakefinger; vocalists Nina Hagen, Pamela Z.; Chinese librettist Xu Ying; filmmakers Philip Kaufman, David Teague, Ed Robbins; Shadowlight director Larry Reed; playwrights Ruth Margraff, O-Lan Jones; technologist Scot Gresham-Lancaster; and visual artist Lesley Dill.


500 word bio

Richard Marriott has been active as a composer, performer, producer and instrument builder for over thirty years. He has composed extensively for film, television, dance, theater, opera, installations and video games, encompassing a wide range of styles.

He is the founder and artistic director of the Club Foot Orchestra, the premiere ensemble for live music performance with silent films. The Orchestra has a repertoire of 16 feature-length scores, all of which were composed by Marriott or in collaboration with other orchestra members, and has performed these scores extensively, at venues such as Lincoln Center, BAM, SFJAZZ, Rubin Museum, Morgan Library, and the Smithsonian Institution. The core instrumentation of three woodwinds, two brass, violin, contrabass, electric guitar and percussion is often augmented by forces as diverse as string quartet and Balinese Gamelan.

His operas include DIVIDE LIGHT, in collaboration with visual artist Lesley Dill, with text drawn from the poetry of Emily Dickinson. DIVIDE LIGHT premiered at the Montalvo Art Center in 2008 with The Choral Project and Del Sol String Quartet and is receiving a new production at Dixon Place, New York NY in April 2018. VOYAGE premiered at the San Francisco International Art Festival in June 2017, featuring Balinese virtuoso Made Subandi and American experimental vocalist Pamela Z. THE PASSION OF LEYLA, a chamber opera with a libretto by Ruth Margraff, was workshopped by the San Jose Stage Company in August, 2016. He has collaborated with Overtone Industries on two musical theater projects, SONGS & DANCES OF IMAGINARY LANDS which premiered in Culver City CA in June 2010, and STRING OF PEARLS which has had theatrical runs in Los Angeles and New York. GODMACHINE premiered at CSU Hayward in June 2002 and featured interactive electronics.

Marriott has written six scores for choreographer Della Davidson and has also composed scores for New York choreographers Yoshiko Chuma and Yin Mei. In March 2017, he wrote music for Sara Shelton Mann's INVITATION at ODC Theater (San Francisco)

Concert Compositions include Metropolis Concerto for Violin and Wind Ensemble, which was premiered by soloist Alisa Rose and the Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble with Matthew Marsit conducting in February 2015. Upcoming projects include a Concerto for Bass and Orchestra to be performed by bassist Gary Karr and the Gonzaga University Orchestra in April 2018 and the Ghost Ship Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, to be performed by Oakland Symphony in February 2019.

Other credits include music for the Hollywood feature RISING SUN, the Academy Award nominee SILVER INTO GOLD and the CBS animated series THE TWISTED TALES OF FELIX THE CAT.

Marriott was employed as a composer at Atari Games from 1992-1997 and worked at Serge Modular Music Systems 1980-82. In 1981 he invented the voltage-controlled Casio which has been used by musicians such as The Residents, Throbbing Gristle, and Captain Beefheart.

Marriott is a performer on wind instruments and is an avid enthusiast of international marching ensembles. He also designs and constructs electronic instruments which he uses in performance.


RESUME

Richard Marriott
PO BOX 193005 : San Francisco CA 94119
310-309-0800 : RMARRIO@gmail.com

Education
CSU Hayward, Master of Arts in Multimedia, August 2002
UCSD, Graduate Studies in Music, 1977. Teachers: Pauline Oliveros, Ed Harkins
University of Minnesota Minneapolis, BA, 1973. Teachers: Dominick Argento, Paul Fetler
Other Teachers: Ali Akbar Khan (N. Indian Music), San Rafael, CA; Masayuki Koga (Shakuhachi), San Francisco; Nyoman Windha, Asnawa, Cok Bagus, Made Subandi, Bali

Employment
ATARI GAMES, Milpitas CA. 1992 - 1997. Senior Composer
SERGE MODULAR, San Francisco. 1980 - 1982. Designer & Assembler

Compositions for Silent Film Performance (*co-composer)

PANDORA’S BOX (Restoration) premiered May 6, 2023 at the Paramount Theater, Oakland, performed by the Club Foot Orchestra and SF Conservatory*
PREM SANYAS, premiered May 11, 2022 at the Castro Theatre, San Francisco, performed by Club Foot Hindustani
GOONA GOONA, premiered May 4, 2019 at the Castro Theatre, San Francisco, performed by Club Foot Gamelan
GO WEST premiered August 23, 2015 at Miner Auditorium, SF Jazz, San Francisco, performed by the Club Foot Orchestra*
LA DOLCE VITA AND BEYOND premiered September 20, 2013 at the deYoung Museum, San Francisco, performed by the Club Foot Orchestra
METROPOLIS (COMPLETE) premiered April 14, 2013 at Miner Auditorium, SF Jazz, San Francisco, performed by the Club Foot Orchestra
THE GODLESS GIRL premiered March 30, 2011 at the Silent Movie Theater, Los Angeles, performed by the Club Foot Quintet
THE GOLEM premiered March 23, 2011 at the Silent Movie Theater, Los Angeles, performed by the Club Foot Quintet*
STEAMBOAT BILL premiered March 16, 2011 at the Silent Movie Theater, Los Angeles, performed by the Club Foot Quintet
INDIAN TOMB premiered April 2006 at the Rubin Museum, New York, performed by Ensemble Lumiere
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA premiered January 2005 at the World Financial Center, New York, performed by the Club Foot Orchestra
BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN premiered January 2005 at the World Financial Center, New York, performed by the Club Foot Orchestra
LEGONG DANCE OF THE VIRGINS premiered May 1999 at the Castro Theater, San Francisco performed by Gamelan Sekar Jaya and the Club Foot Orchestra*
HANDS OF ORLAC premiered January 1997 at the Castro Theater, San Francisco, performed by the Club Foot Orchestra*
PANDORA’S BOX premiered May 1995 at the Castro Theater, San Francisco, performed by the Club Foot Orchestra*
SHERLOCK JR premiered February 1992 at the Castro Theater, San Francisco, performed by the Club Foot Orchestra*
METROPOLIS (MORODER) premiered April 1991 at the Castro Theater, San Francisco, performed by the Club Foot Orchestra*
NOSFERATU premiered April 1989 at the California State University San Francisco, performed by the Club Foot Orchestra*
CABINET OF DR CALIGARI premiered October 1987 at the Mill Valley Film Festival, performed by the Club Foot Orchestra

Operas and Musical Theater (*co-composer)
PASSION OF LEYLA workshop performances August 2016 at San Jose Stage Company (Ruth Margraff, libretto)
SONGS AND DANCES OF IMAGINARY LANDS premiered June 2010 in Culver City, CA, produced by Overtone Industries*
DIVIDE LIGHT premiered August 2008 at the Montalvo Center of the Arts, Saratoga, CA, Soprano, Mezzo, Baritone, Chorus, string quartet
LAN LING finished 2005, unproduced. Chinese Opera Vocalists, Erhu, Pipa, and orchestra (Xu Ying, libretto)
SEVEN VISIONS premiered October 2002 at BRAVA Theater, San Francisco, produced by Shadowlight Theater*
GODMACHINE, premiered June 2002 at CSU Hayward, Soprano, Countertenor, Balinese gamelan, string trio, Erhu, Yangqing, Guitar
STRING OF PEARLS, premiered June 1991 at Fort Mason, San Francisco, produced by Overtone Industries*

Concert Compositions (*co-composer)
METROPOLIS CONCERTO FOR VIOLIN AND WIND ENSEMBLE premiered February 20, 2015 at Dartmouth College. Alisa Rose, Violin
METROPOLIS CONCERTO FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO premiered February 8, 2015 at Forte House, San Francisco. Alisa Rose, Violin; Amy Zanrosso, Piano
TABUH KREASI ABINAVA premiered June 28, 2010 at Bali Arts Festival, Denpasar, Bali, performed by Gamelan Dharma Swara*
PRIMERO DE MAYO, MONKEY, KONG premiered August 2007 at the Willisau Jazz Festival (Switzerland), performed by The Himalayas
OMBAK LANTANG premiered July 2007 at THE STONE, New York, performed by Gamelan Dharma Swara

Compositions for Dance
CITY OF PAPER premiered January 2009 at Asia Society, New York. Chor: Yin Mei
WEIGHT OF MEMORY premiered February 2008 Salt Lake City, UT. Chor: Della Davidson & Ellen Bromberg
COLLAPSE premiered October 2007 at Mondavi Auditorium, Davis, CA. Chor: Della Davidson
PAGE OUT OF ORDER premiered January 2007 at New Dance, New York. Chor: Yoshiko Chuma
A DREAM INSIDE ANOTHER premiered September 2005 at Mondavi Auditorium, Davis, CA. Chor: Della Davidson
DESIRE FOR THE SAFETY OF DAY premiered October 2002 at Mondavi Auditorium, Davis, CA. Chor: Della Davidson
EVA LUNA premiered September 1997 at Project Artaud, San Francisco. Chor: Della Davidson
TEN PM DREAM premiered March 1992 at Project Artaud, San Francisco. Chor: Della Davidson

Other Compositions
TWISTED TALES OF FELIX, Animated Series for CBS Television (1995) (co-composer)
RISING SUN, Feature film directed by Phil Kaufman (1993) Additional Music
SILVER INTO GOLD, Documentary by Lynn Mueller (1987) Nominated for Academy Award

Miscellania
CARNAVAL 2016 Rio De Janeiro: Played trombone with eight “Blocos” (Parading Ensembles), including Ceu Na Terra, Os Siderais, Cinebloco, and Orquestra Voadora
BALI: Toured as a member of Gamelan Sekar Jaya and Gamelan Dharma Swara, performing at the Bali Arts Festival in 2003 and 2010
MONKEY POWER, Interactive Sound Installation. December 1999. Gallerie Phyllis, Berlin
VOLTAGE-CONTROLLED CASIO, Invented April 1981, sold to groups ranging from The Residents to Captain Beefheart