(b. 1970, Toronto, Ontario).

Canadian composer of mostly orchestral and chamber works that have been performed throughout the world.

Prof. Harman is self-taught as a composer. He studied cello and guitar privately from 1978–81, then studied guitar privately with Barton Wigg from 1982–84, cello privately with Alan Stellings from 1982–89 and electronic music privately with Wes Wraggett in 1986–87. He later earned his PhD in composition under the supervision of Vic Hoyland at the University of Birmingham in 2012.

Among his honours are the selected work in the category Under-30 at the International Rostrum of Composers (1991, for Iridescence), a recommended work at the International Rostrum of Composers (1994, for Concerto) and the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music from the Canada Council for the Arts (2001, for Amerika; 2007, for Postludio a rovescio).

He has taught at McGill University in Montréal since 2005, where he was Assistant Professor from 2005–14 and where he has been Associate Professor since 2014. There he also served as chair of the Composition Area from 2010–12 and as its co-chair from 2012–15 and later as chair of the Department of Music Research from 2018–21.

SELECT LIST OF WORKS

ORCHESTRAL:

Overture for String Orchestra, string orchestra, 1986

Iridescence, 24 strings, 1990

Irisation, 24 strings, 1992

Concerto, oboe, string orchestra, 1993

Let me die before I wake..., 1994

C Section, violin, small orchestra (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, strings), 1996

The Dawn of Each New Day Brings Us Each a Little Closer to Our Inevitable Demise, large orchestra, 1996

Blur, orchestra (2 flutes [2nd + piccolo], 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, piano, percussion, strings), 1997, revised 2016

From the Cradle to the Grave, 16 strings, 1998

Flicker, 1998

Axle, small orchestra, 1999

Uta (concerto), viola, orchestra, 1999–2000

Catacombs (concerto), flute, orchestra, 1999–2000

Amerika, small orchestra (14 players), 2001

Mabushii sora e – Toward a Brilliant Sky (concerto), piano (+ toy piano), orchestra, 2002–03

14 Chorale Melodies, 2003

Otogi no kuni e (concerto), cello, orchestra, 2004–05

Gott lebet noch, harp, small orchestra, 2009

Schumann Scenes, youth string orchestra, 2009

Silver Threads among the Gold, orchestra/large orchestra (12 winds, 11 brass, harp, piano, prepared piano [+ celesta], 3 percussion, 26 or more strings), 2009

Coyote Soul, orchestra (10 winds, 6 brass, 2 harps [2nd tuned an eighth-tone lower], piano [+ toy piano], prepared piano [+ celesta], 3 percussion, strings), 2011

Cilla, orchestra (10 winds, 6 brass, 2 harps [2nd tuned an eighth-tone lower], piano, microtonal piano [+ celesta, toy piano], 3 percussion, 22 or more strings), fixed media, 2012

Lieder und Arien, large orchestra, 2014

Love Locked Out, small orchestra (15 players), fixed media, 2014

It's All Forgotten Now, small orchestra (15 players), fixed media, 2017

Clementi sottosopra, 2023 (version of After Clementi, violin, piano)

CHAMBER MUSIC:

String Quartet No. 1, 1991

Critical Bands, percussion, 1992

The Swan that Died in Darkness, guitar, 1992

Theme and Variations, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, 2 percussion, 1993

Adagio, string quartet, 1994

Incidents in Transition, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, 2 percussion, 1995

Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin, violin, 1995, revised 1998–2001

String Quartet No. 2, 1997

Verve, marimba, reverberation, 1998

Procession burlesque, 10 players, 1998

Midnight with the Stars and You, violin, piano, fixed media, 1999–2000

Projection, piano, ensemble (3 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, double bass), 2001

Assemblage, flute, piano, 2001

Three Pieces for Two Violins, 2 violins, 2001–02

Incipits, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 2002

30 Scarlatti Sketches, flute, piano, 2002

Kansha – Gratitude, 2 flutes (both + piccolo, alto flute), oboe, clarinet (+ alto recorder), trumpet, harp, cimbalom, 2 violins, viola, cello, piano (+ toy piano), 2 percussion, 2004

Piano Trio No. 1, violin, cello, piano, 2005

Preludio a rovescio, violin, 2006

Sonata for Solo Cello, cello, 2006

371, 2 pianos, percussion, 2006

Postludio a rovescio, flute (+ piccolo), oboe, clarinet, harp, guitar (+ vibraslap), mandolin, violin, viola, cello, double bass, piano, percussion, 2006–07

Doubling, flute, clarinet, cello, piano, 2007

Concertino, 2 pianos (both + prepared piano, detuned piano, toy piano, celesta), 8 percussion, 2008

Der Tag mit seinem Licht, flute (+ piccolo), clarinet (+ recorder), violin, cello, 5-octave celesta (+ piano), vibraphone (+ crotales, toy piano), 2010–11

Sonatine, flute, cello, 2011

Album for the Young, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, fixed media, 2015

Five Pieces, clarinet, piano, 2014–16

Piano Trio No. 2, violin, cello, piano, 2015–16

White Lines, violin, piano, 2018

Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin, violin, 2019

Suite for Two Cellos, 2 cellos, 2019

Suite for Solo Viola, viola, 2020

When time turns around, 14 percussion, 2021

After Clementi, violin, piano, 2022 (also version as Clementi sottosopra, orchestra)

JSB EG, harp, 2023

After Kuhlau, violin, vibraphone (+ tubular bells, toy piano, prepared piano/marimba), 2023

CHORAL:

This Is Not America (text by William Billings), 6 female voices, 6 percussion, fixed media, 2012

VOCAL:

Five Japanese Children's Songs (texts from songs for children from Japan), soprano, piano, 1998–99

La selva de los relojes (text by Federico García Lorca), mezzo-soprano, flute (+ piccolo), clarinet, harp, cello (+ wind-up alarm clock), piano (+ celesta), percussion, conductor (with two wind-up metronomes), fixed media, 2013

Poema de la Solea (text by Federico García Lorca), tenor, harp, piano, 6 percussion, 2015

...with silver bells and cockle shells... (texts from nursery rhymes), soprano, orchestra (10 winds, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, harp, piano, celesta [+ prepared piano, harpsichord], 3 percussion, 24 or more strings), 2017–18

London's Burning (texts from nursery rhymes), soprano, piano, 2021

PIANO:

Globus Hystericus, 1992

After Schumann I, 2008

After Schumann II, 2012–13

Five Chorale Melodies, 2016

371 Chorales, 2016

Billboard ver.1, 2019–20

After Schumann III, 2020–21

triptych, 2022

JSB KMHR, 2023

SELECT DISCOGRAPHY

Iridescence. Alex Pauk/24 strings of the Esprit Orchestra (CBC Records: SMCD 5132, 1993 [also reissued as Q DISC: Q 97006, 2000])

Globus Hystericus; Theme and Variations; Procession burlesque; Midnight with the Stars and You. Christina Petrowska Quilico, piano; Sabat/Clarke Duo; Rosemary Thompson/Continuum (Centrediscs: CMCCD 7801, 2001)

Assemblage. Isabelle Schnöller, flute; Hansjörg Koch, piano (Edition Zeitklang: EZ 15013, 2003)

Piano Trio No. 1. Trio Fibonacci (Centrediscs: CMCCD 15710, 2010)

After Schumann I; 371; Concertino; Der Tag mit seinem Licht; After Schumann II. Jeffrey Stonehouse, flute; Mark Bradley, clarinet; Mark Fewer, violin; Andrea Stewart, cello; Jeremy Chaulk, piano; Mei Yi Foo, piano; Yoori Choi, piano, prepared piano, detuned piano, toy piano, celesta; Jin Hyung Lim, piano, prepared piano, detuned piano, toy piano, celesta; Christian Smith, percussion; Toca Loca; Aiyun Huang/McGill Percussion Ensemble (Naxos Records: 8.573303, 2014)

Doubling. The Nu:BC Collective (Redshift Records: TK432, 2014)

371 Chorales. Julia Den Boer, piano (Redshift Records: TK476, 2020)

After Clementi; After Schumann III; Suite for Solo Viola; Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin; JSB KMHR; After Kuhlau. Mark Fewer, violin; Axel Strauss, violin; Aysel Taghi-Zada, violin; Marina Thibeault, viola; Stéphane Lemelin, piano; Kimihiro Yasaka, piano; Michael Murphy, vibraphone, tubular bells, toy piano, prepared piano/marimba (Redshift Records/Bandcamp, 2024)