Marc Harris Music
ABOUT MARC
Marc's fascination and engagement with music stems back to the concerts he was taken to as a small child. He was keen to play the piano from a very young age, and continued to play in bars and restaurants through university and beyond. He brings a lifetime of ranging musical interests to his own compositions, and these references ripple throughout all his works.
Time to compose was an unexpected gift from the dark heart of lockdown; having dedicated his working life to running a successful safari business, he had had little time for much else, but continued playing keyboards for a number of different bands around town. When COVID struck Marc suddenly found time to write the music he had been dreaming of for decades. With the office to himself & with nothing but a couple of keyboards and no one but speakers for company, the music began to flow...
With invaluable guidance and advice from his mentor, Jo Reeves, Marc began developing and expanding his musical ambitions. From a small score the work became a fully-conceived symphony for a full orchestra and 2 dozen singers; Symphony No.1 - Shifting Sands. Jo gathered musicians from the Guildhall and Royal College of Music to perform the work in London to in June 2021, and Marc went on to record a version with the Northern Film Orchestra later that year.
Symphony No.1 - Shifting Sands won the Grand Prize at the Vivaldi International music competition and 2nd prize at the Petrichor International Music Competition, along with an assortment of other awards & prizes
Symphony No.2 'Aurora Nova', co-written with Jo, premiered to great acclaim in London in July 2023 and will be available shortly on Spotify. It won the Grand Prize at the IYMC the Master Prize at the Vivaldi International music competition, First prize in the Tiziano Rossetti competition, a Platinum Prize at the World Classical Music Awards, amongst others.
Meanwhile, Marc continues to play a heady mix of Latin, Funk and Blues on keyboards. He has played for a huge number of different bands over the years, and particularly enjoys gigging with his own band, Patchwork.
He holds an MA from University of Cambridge and is an associate of the London Symphony Orchestra’s Soundhub.
He lives in Southwest London with his wife Annie, 2 children and arguably too many keyboards...
INFLUENCES
Marc’s music draws on influences ranging from the the composers of the Classical and Romantic eras to progressive rock bands of the '60's and '70's. He has a particular interest in music for film and the music of the great Russian composers.
His life long passion for travel and exploration to some of the most remote corners of the world inspires and shapes all of his works.
REVIEWS
Symphony No.1
"The music of Marc Harris has a clear tonal basis, a great melodic & thematic richness and a wonderful sense of form & architecture – his three-movement work is one, great cohesive whole, with a great contrast of moods & emotion, and is brilliantly and effectively orchestrated. The Northern Film Orchestra, under the direction of Melvin Tay, and the Choir, conducted by Anna Beresford, give a superb performance of this work - deeply expressive and with a great balance and clarity of lines."
"Symphony No. 1 – Shifting Sands from composer Marc Harris is a powerful work of great expression from an exciting voice in contemporary music."
Phoenix Classical
From the ominous restraint of the opening, it is clear this is a piece of serious intent. Inspired by the landscapes of Africa, South America, and Asia, Marc Harris’ first symphony is ambitious, and the result is a remarkable achievement. A chorus sings in Latin (the text draws heavily on the Book of Revelation from the Christian Bible).
Colin Clarke - Fanfare Archive
Harris's symphony confronts this uncertain future with a heavy reliance on strings and horns, which sustain the melody and seem to push against the marching pulse of the timpani, as well as other harmonic elements that could swallow up every cycle of the reprised themes ad sonic landscapes.
Jacqueline Kharouf - Fanfare Archive
“The shifting sands will devour the temples of man.” That’s the superscription for this three-movement symphony for choir, orchestra and organ. So, is this a work that stands inspirational comparison with Shelley’s Ozymandias: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone / Stand in the desert. … My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: / Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” Harris’s selected words travel the same track-way.
Rob Barnett - Musicweb international
... And yet here it is, in all its magnificence, cast over an imposing canvas and utilizing a full symphony orchestra with chorus. I was intrigued, especially as the music has such visceral power.
" Marc has skilfully woven together many different musical elements, paying reference to some of the great composers of the past whilst also delivering a sound with a modern, cinematic edge, taking inspiration from film scores. The symphony is composed for a full orchestra plus choir and church organ, allowing for a large difference in use of dynamics between the different moments of the piece. There is also a strong Arabic and middle eastern flavour running through the symphony in its use of harmony, which combined with the choir gives the piece a slightly timeless and ancient quality. Overall, the listener is treated to an epic musical landscape which ebbs and flows like rolling sand dunes in the desert."
Jack Hughes, Northern Film Orchestra
“I hear 1932 -2011: John Barry, John Williams and Max X Steiner (KONG!) very Korsakov-like and at the end of 3rd movement I hear Glass, (as in KOYANIQATSI, different instrumentation of course), good clarinets and their usage alongside the bottom strings in a Tango/Milonga habanera type suggestion, very rhapsodic with the chorus-definitely cinematic and impressionistic; Phrygian and arabesque… Love the woodwinds swirling around the brass like eels."
Tontxi Vazquez, Director, Producer and Screenwriter
Symphony No.2
The first recording of the Harris/Reeves three-movement 'Symphony No 2 - Aurora Nova' for orchestra & choir - beautiful, expressive and evocative - a major work.
Aurora Nova registers as a substantial work of grand symphonic scope in its own right.
There is much to admire in this beautiful album—not only the music itself, but the recording
quality of this live performance, which feels present and tangible.5 stars – Sweeping,romantic music from Marc Harris and Jo Reeves
Jacqueline Kharouf - Fanfare ArchiveA fine piece, performed with enthusiasm and commitment. The age-old journey from darkness to light inspiresonce more. It is difficult not to listen to this and feel elevated.
4 stars – A modern-day Requiem of sorts that won’t assault your ears...
COMPETITIONS AND PRIZES
Vivaldi Music Competition 23S2 Grand Prize
Petrichor International Music Competition 2nd Prize
Schubert Music Competition 23S2 Platinum Prize
World Classical Music Awards 23S2 Platinum Prize
Bach International Music Competition 23S2 Absolute First Prize
Beethoven MusicCompetition 2023 S1 Platinum PrizeWorld Classical Music Awards 24S2 Platinum Prize
Vivaldi Music Competition 23S2 Master Prize
IYMC Grand Prize
World Classical Music Awards Platinum Prize
Tiziano Rossetti Competition 1st Prize
CATALOGUE OF WORKS
Symphony No. 1 'Shifting Sands'
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Shifting Sands is a classical symphony for the new millennium, conceived during the darkest days of the pandemic. As the dust settles and the world seeks balance again, this music continues to spin us from the shifting sands of Arabia to the endless plains of the Serengeti, the wild steppes of Asia to the rainforests of Central and South America, howling back in rage at the powers of creation.
To buy a signed physical CD or USB please email
Symphony No.2 'Aurora Nova'
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Aurora Nova is written in a style somewhere between film-score and Romantic Symphonic style,
complete with harp, organ, and SATB Choir.
The choral writing uses Latin for its highly singable vowel sounds, its poignant beauty and gravitas as well as being ancient like the themes inherent in the lyrics.
To buy a signed physical CD or USB please email
PERFORMANCES
SYMPHONY NO.1 - SHIFTING SANDS, Mary's Church, June 2021
SYMPHONY No.2 'Aurora Nova', St Mary's Church July 2023
Date to be confirmed in 2024
CONTACT