He is the founder and leader of the Colin Currie Group, an ensemble specializing in performing and recording the music of Steve Reich.

He attended the Junior Department of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama from 1990 to 1994, where he studied percussion with Pamella Dow and piano with Sheila Desson, both of whom he cites as having an enormous influence on him.

Well known for championing new music, Currie has premiered works by composers such as Elliott Carter,[5] Louis Andriessen,[6] Einojuhani Rautavaara,[7] Jennifer Higdon, Kalevi Aho, Rolf Wallin, Kurt Schwertsik, Simon Holt,[8] Alexander Goehr, Dave Maric, Julia Wolfe and Nico Muhly.

His recording of Jennifer Higdon's Percussion Concerto won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition.

[25] Over the course of his career, Currie has made 14 appearances at the BBC Proms, his first was in 2000, performing Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, aged 22.