Frederick Harris, Jr. is the
conductor of the
MIT Wind Ensemble. In 1999, he formed the ensemble at
MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...
. Harris is also the director of MIT's Festival
Jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
Ensemble.
He was born in
New Hampshire
New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
and earned a
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
from the
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...
. His teachers have included
Frank Battisti,
Gunther Schuller
Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician.
Biography and works
Early years
Schuller was born in Queens, New York City ...
, and
Craig Kirchhoff. He earned his
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
from the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
. He has served as guest conductor of the New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra, and also conducted during summers at Tanglewood.
Harris has
commissioned more than 52 new pieces for various ensembles. He also brings musicians to MIT to play and work with his ensembles, including greats such as
Ran Blake,
Herb Pomeroy
Irving Herbert Pomeroy III (April 15, 1930 – August 11, 2007) was an American jazz trumpeter, teacher, and the founder of the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble.
Early life
Pomeroy was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, United States. He began playing ...
, Arni Cheatham, John Funkhouser,
John Harbison, and Mark Harvey.
Harris has written the official biography of
Stanislaw Skrowaczewski.
He lives in Boxborough, MA, with his wife, Becky, and their daughters, Abbie and Sadie
[https://web.archive.org/web/20130620072305/https://www.createspace.com/900000491]
References
External links
Biography of Fred Harris
American male conductors (music)
MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences faculty
Living people
People from Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Musicians from New Hampshire
University of Minnesota alumni
21st-century American conductors (music)
21st-century American male musicians
Year of birth missing (living people)
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