Richard Harris

Who is Richard Harris?

Richard Harris is a London-based composer, arranger, transcriber, teacher and pianist.

Richard Harris studied composition and orchestration at the University of Edinburgh, where his tutors included Kenneth Leighton. At Edinburgh he co-founded the contemporary classical ensemble Piano Circus, with whom he was a member until 2002, commissioning and performing works by Arvo Pärt, Brian Eno, Philip Glass and Steve Reich. The ensemble was signed to Decca/Argo, producing five CDs. Compositions by Harris feature on the Argo CD Loopholes, and in full on the ensemble's own CD Landscapes Of The Heart; he also produced successful arrangements of works by Terry Riley and Thomas Ades. His work Hexada was featured in the UK television programme The Score.

In 1992 Harris began teaching piano, theory and A-level music at Westminster School, where he himself had been a pupil.

In 1994 Harris became a published author with Faber Music, and in 1997 was chosen by the film composer Carl Davis to be his personal music arranger. Harris's books range from his own compositions and educational tutors to film, jazz and pop arrangements, and include collaborations with Evelyn Glennie and Joanna MacGregor.