BIOGRAPHY
Praised highly by critics as an “emerging pianistic talent”, and having amassed more than thirty different international awards throughout his musical trajectory, Harrison Herman has consolidated his position as one of the best pianists of his generation.
Since his debut in 2005 at the age of 10 in the Auditorio Nacional de Música, Harrison Herman’s growing concert activity has led him to perform as a recital soloist in and outside of Spain, in concert halls and auditoriums such as Palau de Valencia, Auditorio de Zaragoza, Teatro Jofre and Auditorio de Ferrol, Sala Centro in Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid, Centro Cultural Miguel Delibes in Valladolid, Teatro Juan Bravo in Segovia, Auditorio Joaquín Rodrigo in Madrid, Granada in its numerous halls including the Auditorio Manuel de Falla, Salle Debussy in Lyon, Metropolitan Municipal Concert Hall in Adana (Turkey), St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square (London), the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, and De Lijsterbes hall in Brussels, among others.
“[...] with the fearsome concerto No. 3 by Prokofiev, in which he showcased his extreme virtuosity, his agility and immaculacy and, above all, his musical intelligence, perfectly stringing together his phrasing with that of the orchestra in authentic excellence”. - E. Aísa, musical critic for LaRioja25
He has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, the Çurukova State Symphony Orchestra of Adana, Turkey, the Virtuosos de Madrid symphonic orchestra in repeated occasions, and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, among others.
Currently, he has just completed the recording of his second album: ESENCIAS, containing the complete piano music by renowned Trujillan composer Tito Avendaño Salas, which was released in physical and digital format.
“Harrison Herman confirmed his superb sense of melody, transforming the individual percussion of the hammers into a highly-articulated tune [...], a convincing discourse and an incontestable expressivity”. - Review by Luis A. Bes for El Periódico de Aragón.
Among his numerous awards are worth mentioning the first prizes of the competitions Compositores de España, Cidade de Ferrol or La Rioja Piano; the second prizes in the Tokyo 3rd Shigeru Kawai International Piano Competition in Japan, the international piano competition Frechilla-Zuloaga, or the fourth prize in the Grand Prix de Piano de Lyon (France). Also, the first prizes in the competitions María Herrero, Ciutat de Xàtiva, Ciutat de Carlet, Gabriel Teruel Machí, Amparo Fandós, Ciudad de Leganés, Shigeru Kawai Ciudad de Madrid, where he also obtained the EPTA prize for the best interpretation of a Spanish composition of the 18th century, and a CD recording sponsored by Kawai España and Drax Audio Studios, among others.
Harrison has collaborated with diverse organisations in and outside of Spain, such as the Festival Internacional de Música de Cámara de Castellón (FIMCC), where, in its 2020 edition, Harrison was part of an audiovisual recording containing pieces by Brahms, Bruch, Shostakovich and Piazzola. Likewise, he has performed in the festival Onde Musicali of Bérgamo, the Festival Mendigorría, the Ciclo de Música Clásica Pilar of Zaragoza, or the Più Mosso foundation.
He has received guidance and master classes from interpreters and pedagogues of the calibre of Josep Colom, Natalia Trull, Pavel Gililov, Alexander Kandelaki, Leonel Morales, Michel Bourdoncle and Andreas Frölich.
Similarly, he has performed as a soloist under the baton of directors such as Enrique García Asensio, Emin Guven Yasliçam, Melani Mestre, Mariusz Smolij, Marc Moncusí, Guillaume Berney...
In 2020, the release of his first solo LP takes place, containing works by Soler, Schuman and Rachmaninoff.
Born in Sydney (Australia) in 1995 and based in Madrid (Spain) from an early age, Harrison commenced his musical studies at the age of eight in the Centro Integrado de Música Padre Antonio Soler (CIMPA), guided by Laura Díaz. Later, he continued his learning with Javier Gómez Dólera, finally graduating with an honourable mention in his instrument.
At the age of ten, he was awarded the first prize in the piano competition Hazen Intercentros in Madrid. Two years later, he achieved the second prize in the international piano competition Antón García Abril. In 2013 he enrolled in the Conservatory of Castellón, where he began his professional training with the maestro Leonel Morales.
Today, he is a graduate with honours in the speciality of piano interpretation and possesses a master’s degree in musical investigation by the CSMC.
At present, one of his new projects is the recording of the complete Op. 120 by Brahms for the upcoming year 2023, with clarinettist Alberto Agut.