Richard Reed Parry (born October 4, 1977) studied electroacoustics and contemporary dance at Concordia University in Montreal. He is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, best known as a core member of the Grammy Award-winning indie rock band Arcade Fire, where he plays a wide variety of instruments, often switching between guitar, double bass, drums, celesta, keyboards and accordion to help create deep, layered textures in which strings and synthesizers, slow ballads and disco dance tracks are all at home. He is also a member of the Bell Orchestre, in which he primarily plays double bass and is the de facto producer. He occasionally performs as drummer and backup singer with Little Scream. He was also formerly a member of the band the New International Standards, with Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara.

His first work for Orchestra, entitled For Heart, Breath and Orchestra was recorded by the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, on their 2011 album From Here On Out alongside pieces by Jonny Greenwood and Nico Muhly. He has also written commissioned works for Kronos Quartet, yMusic and Bryce Dessner, and his chamber works also have been performed by the Calder Quartet and Warhol Dervish.


Photo by: Alex Hudson