Patrick Harlin’s “aesthetics capture a sense of tradition and innovation…” (The New York Times). His music is permeated by classical, jazz, and electronic music traditions, all underpinned with a love and respect for the great outdoors.
Recent premieres include The Fourth Pedal, a piano concerto written for and premiered by Cliburn finalist Clayton Stephenson, BLOOM for orchestra, Time Lapse for solo harp, The Wilderness Anthology for string orchestra and pre-recorded soundscapes, and Earthrise for orchestra.
His works have been performed by the St. Louis Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic, the Reno Philharmonic, Lansing Symphony, Kinetic Ensemble, Alarm Will Sound, ROCO Houston, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestras, Collegium Cincinnati, Salina Symphony, NW Florida Orchestra, Calidore and ConTempts string quartets among others. Patrick recently finished as the inaugural composer in residence with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra (2019-2023), where he collaborated extensively with conductor Timothy Muffitt.
Patrick’s interdisciplinary research in soundscape ecology—a field that aims to better understand ecosystems through sound—has taken him to imperiled regions around the world, including the Amazon rainforest and the Book Cliffs of Utah. His baseline recordings for ecological impact studies are also the fodder for artistic inspiration. These pieces draw parallels between the sounds of the natural world and those of the concert hall, seeking to bring awareness to the importance of sound in our environment.
Patrick’s work in this field has been supported by a Graham Sustainability Institute Doctoral Fellowship, Theodore Presser Award, and a University of Michigan Predoctoral Fellowship, resulting in an ongoing body of works called The Wilderness Anthology.
CD releases include American Rapture by the Rochester Philharmonic, Wind Cave on GVSU's Dawn Chorus Album, My Time is Now featuring #tbt and the premiere recording using George Gershwin's Steinway piano, River of Doubt with the Atlantic Classical Orchestra, and Time Lapse on Yolanda Kondonassis's album 5 minutes for earth. Upcoming recordings include The Wilderness Anthology commissioned and premiered/recorded by the Kinetic Ensemble.
Patrick holds a B.Mus from Western Washington University, and an M.M. and D.M.A. from the University of Michigan. He has studied with Alexei Girsh, Roger Briggs, Evan Chambers, Bright Sheng, and Michael Daugherty. He was raised in Seattle, Washington, and moonlights as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Michigan.
