Pianist

Collin Turley

Collin Turley is an American pianist and music student at Northern Arizona University’s Kitt School of Music. He actively performs as a collaborative pianist and dedication researcher, organizing academic musical projects and performing full-scale concert programs.

“Never have I found such a richness of life contained in song.”

Collin Turley spearheaded the research, preparation, and dedication required to put together a comprehensive concert program dedicated to Latvian composer Lūcija Garūta at NAU’s Kitt School of Music. Thanks to his initiative, American students discovered, learned, and performed Garūta’s works in the original Latvian language far from home. The concert also marked the historic first time excerpts from her opera The Silver Bird were performed in the United States, featuring Turley on piano alongside a student choir and chamber musicians under conductor Mathieu Moser.

Organized and performed the historic US premiere of excerpts from Lūcija Garūta’s opera The Silver Bird. The concert program, featuring Collin Turley on piano, included Elegy, The Mermaid’s Song, Holy Love, My Dream, Lullaby, and excerpts from the monumental cantata God, Thy Earth is Aflame!

In his own words

Discovering Lūcija Garūta

Collin first encountered Lūcija Garūta through her Piano Concerto. Drawn to its folk themes, emotional depth, and the way Garūta’s life shaped her music, what began as a school assignment soon developed into a much broader exploration of her work. Her story strengthened his conviction that classical music can serve as a powerful form of cultural memory and preservation.

His admiration soon expanded to Garūta’s songs, which he began rehearsing with his friend and tenor Zachary Mcdonald. They initially worked from the German translations before turning to the original Latvian text, giving the music an entirely new emotional immediacy. Preparing the opera excerpts presented a different challenge: with no existing recordings to rely on, the performers developed their interpretation directly from the score, the dramatic context, and the completed English translation.