Pianist, violinist, and conductor HARRIS ANDERSEN began his studies at the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven at the age of 5 and made his solo debut at 14. He received the high school diploma from Amity Regional High School, where performed in all major ensembles and regularly conducted the Wind Ensemble. As an instrumentalist and conductor, Harris has been invited to participate in well-renowned music festivals such as the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Bowdoin International Music Festival, the International Keyboard Institute and Festival, and the Conductor’s Institute of South Carolina and has worked with famous artists including Sergei Babayan, Peter Serkin, and Jeremy Denk. He has won numerous competitions including the Greater New Haven Concerto Competition, 41st Annual Renée Fisher Competition, New York Debut International Piano Competition, and the Ithaca College Concerto Competition.
An active chamber musician and collaborative pianist, Harris regularly accompanies colleagues throughout the wind, brass, string, and voice areas at Ithaca College and has been hailed for his collaborative sensitivity and musical spirit whether directing early baroque ensembles from the harpsichord or working on brand-new contemporary scores.
Throughout the off-stage months of the pandemic, Harris took initiative in finding new ways of performing by hosting pop-up lawn concerts for his neighborhood, and most recently, recording and editing a video performance of the complete Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with a virtual orchestra of friends. Harris is a senior at Ithaca College under the tutelage of Charis Dimaras, Calvin Wiersma, and Grant Cooper with the intentions of next pursing a degree in Orchestral Conducting.