Composer, conductor, poet and arts educator John Harbison is the quintessential example of a modern-day renaissance man. He has composed for nearly every classical music genre from chamber, to symphonic, to opera with many of these works being critically acclaimed and entering the standard repertoire. As a conductor he has led ensembles specializing in the works of the seventeenth century through works of the present day. His talents as a lyricist have allowed him to assume dual roles as librettist and composer for his vocal and operatic works. Lastly, he has demonstrated deep commitment to the education of further generations of composers through his academic posts and his presence within the most prestigious artistic associations.
John Harbison was born in Orange, New Jersey on December 20, 1938. He was raised in an environment rich in intellectual and cultural opportunities that influenced his training as a composer. His earliest musical influences were Bach, Stravinsky and jazz: by the age of eleven he was playing in his own jazz band as a pianist. His fascination with the music of Bach has continued to be an influential voice in his compositions. Harbison has written that the Bach cantatas were just as influential to him as the Beethoven string quartets are to other musicians.
Harbison began his formal composition training with Walter Piston at Harvard University, earning a BA in 1960 and receiving honors in composition and poetry. He completed additional studies with Boris Blacher in 1961 at the Berlin Musikhochschule, and with Roger Sessions and Earl Kim at Princeton University where he earned an MFA in 1963.
The summer of 1963 proved to be very significant to Harbison. At the invitation of Roger Sessions, Harbison was invited to spend the summer at the Santa Fe Opera Company. During that summer, the complete operas of Stravinsky were performed in the presence of the composer. This time spent with Stravinsky furthered Harbison’s fascination with the composer’s works and had an impact on his compositional output. Harbison began his academic career in 1969 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In recognition of his success, he was named Class of 1949 Professor of Music (1984) and Killian Award Lecturer (1994). He was later awarded one of that institution’s highest honors, Institute Professor, in 1996. For the past several summers, he has been on the composition faculty at the Aspen Music School. His previous academic appointments include Boston University and CalArts University.
Harbison has been composer in residence with several of the most prestigious ensembles in this country and abroad, including the Pittsburgh Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Tanglewood Music Festival, Marlboro Music Festival, Santa Fe Chamber Festival and the American Academy in Rome. His music has been commissioned by a diverse group of organizations, from professional orchestras to academic institutions, such as the Metropolitan Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, Chicago Chamber Musicians, Israeli Consulate of Chicago, College Band Directors National Association, American Composers Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, University of Wisconsin and many others. As a conductor, he has held the position of music director of several vocal and orchestra ensembles as well as serving as a guest conductor. From 1990 – 1992 he was the creative chair of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. In 1991 he conducted the Scottish Chamber Orchestra at the Ojai Festival. Other guest conducting appearances include the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony and the Handel and Haydn Society. He is former music director of the Cantata Singers in Boston and the Principal Guest Conductor of Emmanuel Music in Boston, an ensemble specializing in Bach cantatas and seventeenth-century motets as well as music of the present day.
[continued – click below for more]
