Role

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Composer Performer

Birth

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1952

Genre

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Avant-Garde

 

 

Keyboard

 

Jonty Harrison is a British composer of electroacoustic music, born on July 22, 1952, in Birmingham, England. He is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of electroacoustic music in the UK and has made significant contributions to the development of the genre. Harrison's interest in music began at an early age, and he started playing the piano when he was six years old. He later learned to play the guitar and the bass guitar and played in several rock bands during his teenage years. However, it was not until he attended the University of York that he discovered his passion for electroacoustic music. At the University of York, Harrison studied under Trevor Wishart, a prominent composer of electroacoustic music. Wishart's teachings had a profound impact on Harrison, and he became interested in exploring the possibilities of electronic music. He completed his Bachelor of Music degree in 1974 and went on to pursue a Master of Music degree in electroacoustic composition at the University of Birmingham. After completing his studies, Harrison worked as a freelance composer and sound engineer. He also taught music at various institutions, including the University of Birmingham and the University of East Anglia. In 1980, he joined the faculty of the University of Birmingham as a lecturer in electroacoustic music. Harrison's early works were influenced by the musique concrète movement, which emphasized the use of recorded sounds as the basis for composition. His first major work, "Klang," was composed in 1978 and was created entirely from sounds recorded in the city of Birmingham. The piece was well-received and established Harrison as a significant figure in the field of electroacoustic music. In the 1980s, Harrison began to experiment with computer-generated sounds and developed a unique approach to composition that combined recorded sounds with synthesized sounds. His works from this period, such as "Unsound Objects" and "Streams," were characterized by their complex textures and intricate layering of sounds. Harrison's most significant work to date is "Évidence matérielle," a large-scale composition that was commissioned by the French government in 1997. The piece was created using sounds recorded in the city of Paris and was premiered at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris in 1998. The work was praised for its innovative use of spatialization and its ability to create a sense of place through sound. In addition to his work as a composer, Harrison has also been active as a researcher and educator. He has published numerous articles on electroacoustic music and has taught workshops and masterclasses around the world. He has also served as the director of the Electroacoustic Music Studios at the University of Birmingham and the University of East Anglia. Harrison's contributions to the field of electroacoustic music have been widely recognized. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Giga-Hertz Award for Lifetime Achievement in Electronic Music in 2010 and the British Composer Award for Sonic Art in 2014. His works have been performed at major festivals and venues around the world, including the Donaueschingen Festival, the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, and the Royal Festival Hall in London. In conclusion, Jonty Harrison is a pioneering composer of electroacoustic music who has made significant contributions to the development of the genre.

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