LAMAMIMET

Michael Harrison was born on October 24, 1958 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, grew up in Eugene, Oregon, and was the son of mathematician David Kent Harrison. He earned a B.M. in composition at the University of Oregon, where he began studying Indian music and the concept of just intonation.

After moving to New York City, he apprenticed with minimalist composer La Monte Young, serving as piano tuner for Young’s “The Well‑Tuned Piano” and later becoming one of the few pianists authorized to perform it. In 1986 he designed the “harmonic piano,” a radically modified grand piano capable of 24 notes per octave, which became a hallmark of his work in pure tuning systems.

Harrison’s compositions blended Indian raga, just intonation, and contemporary classical idioms, producing long‑form works such as “From Ancient Worlds” (1992) and “Revelation.” He taught at institutions including the Rhode Island School of Design and the Manhattan School of Music, and was co‑founder and president of the American Academy of Indian Classical Music. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship for 2018‑19.

Michael Harrison died on April 17, 2026 in Manhattan after complications from pancreatic cancer, at the age of 67. His innovative tuning concepts and the harmonic piano left a lasting impact on experimental and contemporary music.