Riley is a gifted musician with a long history of teaching and performing woodwind instruments. Riley has taught students from the elementary ages through adult since 2015. He has performed with the Washington-Idaho Symphony as a tenured clarinetist, with the Opuntia winds Woodwind quintet, and the Plaza Winds UKMC Conservatory Graduate Fellowship Wind Quintet.

He received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Idaho in Clarinet performance, where he graduated cum laude and received the Lionel Hampton Scholar Award. He Receved his Masters on Music in Clarinet Performance form the University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory and was a member of the Graduate Woodwind Quintet Fellowship: Plaza Winds. He is Currently pursuing his DMA in Clarinet Performance and plans to graduate in 2024.

In addition to his studies in Clarinet, Riley has conducted and presented several research projects involving the relationship between Neuroscience and Music. He won 2nd Prize at the International clarinet Association Research Competition in 2023 for his presentation: “Nielsen and Neuroscience: Research-based strategies for preparing Carl Nielsen’s Concerto for Clarinet.” He has also given several master classes and workshops on the effect of practice on the brain at ICA Clarinet Fest and AZ Flute Fest among others.