Rob Keeley was born in Bridgend in 1960. He was a student of  Oliver Knussen at the Royal College of Music, then studied  at Magdalen College Oxford under Bernard Rose, and later with Robert Saxton. In 1988 he studied with Franco Donatoni at the Accademia Santa Cecilia in Rome, and at the Tanglewood Summer Music School, where he was Benjamin Britten Fellow in Composition, working with Oliver Knussen and Hans Werner Henze. Since 1993 he has lectured at King's College, London: before that  Rob was a freelance pianist and repetiteur, working for Opera Factory, Almeida and Garsington Opera. He has also played with the London Sinfonietta, and Music Projects/London, and now gives frequent solo recitals covering a wide range of repertoire, including premieres by among others, Harrison Birtwistle, Michael Finnissy, Jonathan Cole, Tom Armstrong and Richard Emsley.

He has given lecture recitals in 20th-century piano music at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and seminars on his own music at UC Berkeley and the University of Oregon, Eugene.

 

His works have been performed by among others: BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Lontano, Opus 20, Premiere Ensemble, Ensemble Bash, pianists Martin Roscoe, Mary Dullea and Colin Stone, harpsichordist Jane Chapman, guitarists Jonathan Leathwood and Fabio Zanon, bass player Corrado Canonici, Chinook Clarinet Quartet, Fretwork and the Composers' Ensemble.

A number of his works are published by Cadenza Music.