Frederick Harris
Frederick Harris received a Master of Music Degree from New England Conservatory and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. His major teachers included Frank Battisti, Gunther Schuller and Craig Kirchhoff.
Dr. Harris was also a conducting student at the Tanglewood Music Center and the Schweitzer Institute of Music at the Festival at Sandpoint. Since 1992 he has commissioned 24 works for winds and various mixed media. He has guest conducted and presented lectures on commissioning new music at many universities and conservatories in the New England area. He has also conducted performances at the Eastman School of Music and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
At the University of Minnesota, Harris served as conductor of the Concerto Grosso Ensemble and a guest conductor of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Baroque Orchestra, and various contemporary music ensembles. More recently he guest conducted the New Hampshire Philharmonic.
Formerly an instrumental music director in the Belmont (MA) Public Schools, Harris is a strong advocate for music education. As a professional percussionist, he has performed a diverse body of music ranging from chamber ensembles, small and large jazz ensembles and symphony orchestras.
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