Holly Harrison

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2023 In Review

Well, this is embarrassing! Another year flies by without a blog post. . . for more up to the minute information, feel free to follow me on social media (didn’t I say that last year!).  I’m a month late to report, but here I go.

2023 was a truly wonderful year, and I consider myself extremely lucky to have worked and collaborated with a myriad of brilliant musicians.

From Sydney to Perth, Texas to Florida, Hamburg to Copenhagen, and Manchester to Birmingham, my music was heard in Australia, USA, Germany, Spain, Denmark, UK, Sweden, and Norway. I’ll attempt to be bit different to my previous review posts and be a bit list-y and number focussed this time. Think of it as TL;DR style.

Snapshot Stats

By my count (and please, feel free to correct me!), there were:

81 performances of my works

23 different works performed

7 world premieres

2 premieres of new arrangements of existing works

2 UK premieres

2 EU premieres

2 US premieres

2 Australian premieres

New Works Premiered

POUNCE (12’) for wind ensemble, University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, Lucas Petersen. This is almost out of consortium exclusivity in April 2024, and will then be available from Murphy Music Press.

Fluro Electric (7’) for string quartet, Goldmund Quartet

Riffs & Revs (8’) for flute, bass clarinet, cello, and keyboard, Ensemble Offspring

Phasmid Funk (10’) for horn and bassoon, Rachel Shaw and Matt Kneale

Daredevil (20’) for clarinet, string quartet, and piano, Omega Ensemble

Centrifuge (18’) for orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Eivind Aadland

Ice Giant (9’) for solo violin, Veronique Serret/Ensemble Offspring

I also wrote a short little piece in November for my excellent composer friend Tristan Coelho and his milestone birthday. Written for a surprise bash, Secret Surprise is for guitar, harp, and marimba (yep, all the hard ones!). There’s also a short bass solo, Mango Fizz, still waiting for its premiere too!  

For score and parts for the above, please feel free to contact me and ask questions. They’re still very fresh, so I’m in the process of finalising scores for beyond-premiere- consumption!  

New Arrangements of Existing Works of Mine

And Whether Pigs Have Wings for soprano and large ensemble, new arrangement for Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School. This is my third (!) arrangement of Pigs – this version includes new parts for saxophones, extra keys, and harp, as well as new sections for improvising players.

Slipstream, a new arrangement for Syzygy Ensemble. This 2.0 version reimagines the original sextet into a quintet version (bye bye, viola) for a more compact ensemble.

2023 Highlights at a Glance

Thank Yous

Thank you to the following for performing my music in 2023!  

University of Texas El Paso Wind Symphony, Florida All-State Symphonic Band, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, University of Georgia Wind Ensemble, University of North Florida Wind Symphony, Virginia Tech Wind Ensemble, Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, Duo Blockstix, Ball State University Wind Symphony, Beecroft Orchestra, University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, Nurnberger Symphoniker, Michigan State University Musique 21, University of Oregon Wind Ensemble, Goldmund Quartet, Yale Concert Band,  Equinox Chamber Music Festival, Manchester Camerata, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Offspring, Emma-Shay Gallenti-Guifoyle, Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, Partridge Quartet, Australian Chamber Orchestra Collective, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Spokane Symphony, Uppsala Chamber Orchestra, Eliot Quartett, Mercer University Wind Ensemble, Utah Valley University Wind Ensemble, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, Triangle Wind Ensemble, Arcadia Winds, Syzygy Ensemble, Omega Ensemble, Grand Valley State University Wind Ensemble, Veronique Serret, and MSO Academy/Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.  

A Taste of the Future

Boy, am I pumped for this year too! After a few weeks rest, I’m ready to go. Here’s a little taster:

For now, over and out.