(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are the selected work in the category Under-30 at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers (1991, for Iridescence [withdrawn]), a recommended work at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers (1994, for Concerto) and the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music from the Canada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.
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)