THE LIVING COMPOSERS PROJECT  

Chris Paul Harman

(b. 1970, Toronto, Ontario).

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

Mr. Harman is self-taught as a composer, but later earned his PhD at the University of Birmingham. 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.

Among his honours are the selected work in the category Under-30 at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers (1991, for Iridescence [withdrawn]), a recommended work at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers (1994, for Concerto) and the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music from the Canada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 has also served as chair of the department of composition.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Website: https://www.chrispaulharman.com/

SELECT LIST OF WORKS

ORCHESTRAL:

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, 1997

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

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

Gott lebet noch, harp, small orchestra, 2009

Scenes from Schumann, youth string orchestra, 2009

Silver Threads among the Gold, 2009

Coyote Soul, 2011

Cilla, large orchestra, 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

CHAMBER MUSIC:

Critical Bands, percussion, 1992

The Swan that Died in Darkness, guitar, 1992

Theme and Variations, 8 players, 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

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

371, 2 pianos, percussion, 2006

Postludio a rovescio, ensemble, 2007

Sonata for Solo Cello, cello, 2007

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

Der Tag mit seinem Licht, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 2010–11

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

Five Pieces, clarinet, piano, 2014–16

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

White Lines, violin, piano, 2019

Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin, violin, 2019

CHORAL:

This Is Not America, 6 female voices, 6 percussion, 2011

VOCAL:

Five Japanese Children's Songs, soprano, piano, 1998–99

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, 2017–18

PIANO:

Globus hystericus, 1992

After Schumann I, 2008

After Schumann II, 2012–13

Five Chorale Melodies, 2016

SELECT DISCOGRAPHY

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, 2002)

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, Mei Yi Foo, pianos; Yoori Choi, Jin Hyung Lim, pianos, prepared piano, detuned piano, toy piano, celesta; Christian Smith, percussion; Toca Loca; Aiyun Huang/McGill Percussion Ensemble (Naxos Records: 8.573303, 2014)