Guest Artist Bio
Michael Allen Harrison
Michael Allen Harrison’s musical talent took root at the age of 6, when his parents decided to enroll him in piano lessons to help him come out of his shell. “I was painfully shy growing up,” he says.” My mom thought it would help me to gain more confidence.”
During college, Harrison started earning recognition for his ability to not only play music but compose. He began to write music for theater programs and branched out as one of the company pianists for the Pacific Ballet Theater, Ballet Oregon and Oregon Ballet Theatre.
Harrison’s music is best described as a genre of its own. His cutting-edge, classical contemporary style carves a distinct niche of timeless music.
In 1986 Harrison debuted his first album, which quickly launched him as one of the most recognized musicians in the Northwest. Since then he has released more than 40 CDs showcasing his wide variety of composing styles that cross many genres from classical contemporary to new age/world and smooth jazz. The record label he founded, M.A.H. Records, has become a prominent label for other popular Northwest artists. To date, Harrison has produced recordings for more than 200 musicians, including a recent CD for Katie Harman, Miss America 2002, and a new duet CD, At Midnight, with saxophonist Patrick Lamb.
A classical musician at heart, one of Harrison’s favorite pastimes is performing with symphony orchestras, which he has been doing since 1996.
“Classical music tells a story like no other genre,” he says. “I often feel as though I channel this music through because it still wants to be heard. Composers such as Chopin, Grieg, Liszt, Schubert, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky, as well as modern composers like Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Williams, Aaron Copland and George Gershwin, have been a great influence on me because of their magnificent storytelling. I’m passionately moved to bring these sounds back with a contemporary cutting edge.”
Since 1992, Harrison has been involved with writing film scores for many motion pictures, short films and documentaries. He also has scored music for numerous ballet and theater companies, including the Oregon Children’s Theater and the American Dance Theater.Most recently he music directed a production of The Full Monty, and in September 2008 his own Broadway-style musical, Prometheus, was produced at the Lakewood Theater.
In recognition of his significant contributions to the arts, Harrison has been honored with a star set in stone outside the Portland Center for the Performing Arts Center, alongside fellow honorees that include former Mayor Vera Katz and former Oregon Symphony Music Director James DePreist.
Noteworthy philanthropic activities in his beloved City of Roses include the launch of “Ten Grands” and the Snowman Foundation in 2000. “Ten Grands” is an annual concert at which Harrison and nine other pianists perform together on 10 pianos to benefit the Snowman Foundation, which supports programs in schools where music has been eliminated due to budget cuts and provides instruments and scholarships for kids who can’t afford them. In addition, Harrison has released more than 20 benefit CDs.