Who is Andy Harris?
Andy Harris, born in Worcester UK, is a composer and educator. He studied at Huddersfield School of Music, London College of Music, and London University Institute of Education. In August 1992, Andy moved to Poland and since then has lived in Krakow, Warsaw, Wroclaw and Łódź, working as both a composer and educator.
Andy has composed and published music in many diverse styles and genres including instrumental, choral, jazz, commercial, musicals, and many songs and instrumental pieces for children.
After graduating, Andy developed both careers, teaching music in schools and to private pupils. His post as Head of Music in a large secondary school in Staffordshire (UK) was the starting point of his professional career as a composer and it was here that he seriously began writing music for children. This period culminated in a series of pieces titled Jazzin’ Around for recorder ensemble, piano and percussion and his first musical for children, Pinocchio. Jazzin’ Around was premiered in Litchfield Cathedral and published by Dolce Edition, and Pinocchio was first performed in the Gatehouse Theatre, Stafford in 1992. Andy also wrote the theme music for two TV cartoons, King Tut and The Pooch Patrol at this time.
His musicals, Pinocchio, The Nightingale and Red, have been performed in Poland as well as the UK. His short musical for children called The Frightened Dragon was premiered at the opening of the new Hilton Garden Inn in Krakow in January 2011.
Andy’s first commercial commission in Poland came in 1995 when he was asked to compose the themes and incidental music for 5 Plays for Children. This was followed by a number of other commissions for children’s songs and incidental music for projects such as Surprise, Hurray, Domino, and some additional music for the Polish edition of Tiger 1.
In 1996, the Polish singer-songwriter Jacek Kaczmarski, asked Andy to compose the music to a libretto he had written about the Roman emperor Heliogabal. To date, this project remains unfinished. More music for the stage followed with the incidental music for the play Cuba. This was performed in 2005 at the Scena Teatru Zaleznego Politechniki in Krakow. Andy has also composed commercial compositions and the occasional piece for music libraries.
Since his youth, Andy has written instrumental, chamber compositions, and works for piano, four hands. The latter include, Preludes (Set 1): Mirrors and Images, Preludes (Set 2): Lines, Cloudscape, Wasteland, The Silence of Peace, Five Miniature Movements, and Two Scenes from Nature. In July 2012, a CD titled Wasteland (DUX 0327), containing a selection of his music for piano, four hands was released.
Recently, Andy has composed a number of pieces for Flute Oboe and Piano in preparation for a second CD planned for release in 2024. The CD will include General Conversations, Łódź Regeneration, Narcissus and Goldmund, and Song of Reminiscence – Henry Grohman’s Legacy.
As well as his work as a composer, Andy co-founded the British International School of Cracow (1995), the British International School Wroclaw (2006) and the British International School Łódź (2011). He retains a keen interest in international education generally.
Andy is an active member of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist organisation, and believes that through their art, musicians have the power to stimulate positive change in society at a local level and globally. His personal mission statement is:
“Music has a mission. It is the second language of all humanity and can speak to everyone across physical, emotional and spiritual borders. Music empowers unity and with a solidarity of purpose, can heal the wounds of conflict and division. We are not separate entities from our neighbours, but each a small part of the same family that inhabits our glorious planet. As musicians, we must use our voice to remind every individual that they have a collective responsibility for the wellbeing and happiness of all people and to protect our environment for the children of the future.”
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