Leon Harrell - Composer, Pianist & Educator

Tomorrow @ 3pm: UIUC Composers' Forum with Leon Harrell

2011-10-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

UIUC Composers' Forum presents:

Leon Harrell presents his work All the things in between & other works

Tuesday, October 18, 2011
3pm-4:20pm
1201 Music Building
UIUC School of Music

I will be presenting my latest large work All the things in between, which was premiered in March by the UIUC New Music Ensemble under the direction of Stephen A. Taylor.

Come to hear about this piece and the path from start to finish of this commission, along with several of my other works. All the things in between is also now available as a free download here.

Hope to see you there.

Upcoming Performance: Sexy Monsters @ 6pm (TONIGHT!)

2011-09-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

My piece Airborne will be played tonight at the Figure One Art Gallery in downtown Champaign, IL at 6pm. It will be featured in the show Sexy Monsters organized and curated by fellow composer James (Jimmy) Bunch.

This concert is part of Figure One's new Free-Print Fridays/Living Sounds Workshop.

Sexy Monsters
Figure One Art Gallery: Free-Print Fridays / Living Sounds Workshop
Sept. 23 @ 5-9pm (Show at 6pm)
116 N WalnutChampaign, IL 61820

See the map and get directions

Heaven and Earth are not kind

2011-09-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

* * * Best enjoyed with headphones, or really good speakers * * *

Heaven and Earth are not kind by Leon Harrell

The inspiration for this piece came from Verse 5 of the Tao Te Ching, which states:

Heaven and Earth are not kind. They regard all things as offerings. The sapient is not kind. He regards the people as offerings.

Is not the space between Heaven and Earth like a bellows? It is empty, but lacks nothing. The more it moves, the more comes out of it.

A multitude of words is tiresome, unlike remaining centered.

from Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu , Translated by Stefan Stenudd (original source)

The three separate and disparate parts of this verse are the source for the piece's formal structure. Additionally the imagery set by the text is reflected sonically, though not literally programmatic.

This verse describes the unbiased and unemotional actions of the universe and its inner workings. This powerful image calls for an overwhelming aural assault that reflects the way in which nature can wreck havoc locally in order to maintain balance as a whole.

In the second part the concept of Ma is invoked, which acknowledges the empty space between objects as always being full and representing the deeper relationship between the objects. Sonically the piece is full with gestures that exploit the depth of field (proximity) for the listener while simultaneously creating relationships between the individual sonic events.

In the final passage the mental state of being centered is conveyed with ambient textures and a recall of the opening chimes leading to the final closing of the work.

Heaven and Earth are not kind was composed in the historic EMS studios at the University of Illinois. It will be featured on an upcoming recording to be released by the University of Illinois in late 2011.

Upcoming Performances: 2 Concerts on April 3rd

2011-03-30T22:00:00.001-07:00

I will be playing two concerts this Sunday, April 3rd.

The first is at 2pm with composer Ben Smith. I will be playing piano with a telematic ensemble.

What is a telematic ensemble you ask? The players in the group will be spread out across campus and connected via the internet for audio and video, playing together. It should be very interesting.

The second show will be at 5:30pm with the COLAB Ensemble and friends playing Ashley Wang's Warm. Up.

Hope to see you at the shows!

Ben Smith Recital: UIUC, Smith Building, Room 25 @ 2pm

Ashley Wang Recital: UIUC, Smith Hall, @ 5:30pm

Upcoming Performance: COLAB & Friends Mar. 14th @ 7:30pm

2011-03-10T12:30:00.000-08:00

I will be performing this upcoming Monday March 14th @ 7:30pm in the UIUC Music Building Auditorium with the COLAB Ensemble. We will be collaborating with fellow composer John Nichols and guest artist Johnathan Schang.

Hope to see you there!

Upcoming Premiere: All the thing in between - 7:30pm, March 17th

2011-02-27T11:31:00.000-08:00

All the things in between
for Large Ensemble and Electronics

Premiered by the UIUC New Music Ensemble
Directed by Stephen Taylor

7:30pm Thursday, March 17th, 2011
Tryon Festival Theatre - Krannert Center
Urbana, IL

I am excited to announce the premiere of my latest composition for large ensemble and electronics, All the things in between

This 12-minute piece is the culmination of nine months of work and I am very pleased with the outcome. The rehearsals for the piece are going great and the ensemble sounds fantastic.

I hope to see you at the premiere in March!

View the Facebook Event

KcEMA Submission Complete

2011-02-26T18:25:00.000-08:00

I just submitted by piece "Airborne" to Kansas City Electronic Music and Arts Alliance (KcEMA) Call for Works.

Results should be sent by email sometime in June, and be available on the website soon after.

You can follow updates on the conference on Facebook.

Wish me luck!

Upcoming Performance: COLAB Ensemble Feb. 23rd @ 8:00pm

2011-02-22T08:51:00.000-08:00

I will be performing again this Wednesday, Feb 23rd, with the COLAB Ensemble at 8pm in the brand new Figure One art gallery in Champaign, IL. Check out the event on Facebook or check the map for exact location.

Upcoming Performance: COLAB Feb. 11th @ 6:30pm

2011-02-08T07:13:00.000-08:00

I will be performing with the COLAB Ensemble this Friday @ 6:30pm (Facebook event) in a special after hours performance in the UIUC Music Library. Visit the COLAB blog to read more about the COLAB Ensemble or keep up with our concert schedule.

Hope to see you there!

ICMC Submission Complete

2011-01-25T06:22:00.000-08:00

I just submitted by piece "Airborne" to International Computer Music Conference 2011 in Huddersfield, England.

Results should be sent by email on April 4th, and be available on the website soon after.

You can follow updates on the conference on Twitter.

Wish me luck, you bloody wanker.

I got in! - "Airborne" will be performed at SEAMUS 2011

2010-12-07T19:38:00.000-08:00

I just received the notice that my piece "Airborne" will be performed at the SEAMUS 2011 Conference in Miami, FL in January.

<a href="http://leonharrell.bandcamp.com/track/airborne">Airborne by Leon Harrell</a>

Upcoming Performance: COLAB Dec. 5th @ 3pm

2010-11-29T20:12:00.000-08:00

I will be performing again with the members of COLAB. This time we will be at The Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois Sunday December 5th at 3pm.

The concert will include about 5 or 6 pieces by small groups and last about 1 hour. All works on this concert feature live musical and dance improvisation.

Hope to see you there.

Upcoming performance: Concert Tomorrow Night @ 7:30pm

2010-11-16T11:11:00.000-08:00

a performance of acousmatic compositions

Time	Wednesday, November 17 · 7:30pm - 8:30pm

Location	UIUC School of Music Auditorium - Room 2100 1114 West Nevada Street Urbana, IL



More Info	featuring compositions by: Leon Harrell, Tony Reimer, Halim Beere, Jinok Cho & John Nichols Wednesday, November 17, 2010 7:30 pm, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Music Building Auditorium

see the facebook event here

Upcoming Performance: November Dance

2010-11-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

I will be performing with several members of COLAB for the pre-show opener at this week's November Dance series in the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana, IL. Come out about 30 minutes before the show to see what we're up to.

Click here for tickets or more info on November Dance.

Swarm

2010-10-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

* * * Best enjoyed with headphones, or really good speakers * * *

Swarm

Swarm is a piece based on the idea of clouds or swarms of sound. It was composed using the Kurzweil K2000 synthesizers in the historic EMS studio at the University of Illinois.

Upcoming Performance: Thursday@12:20 Concert at The Beckman Institute

2010-10-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

I will be performing again with the students of Music-Engineering-Dance Collaborative Improv class, this time at The Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois. The concert will include about 5 pieces by small groups and last about 45 mins. All works on this concert feature live musical and dance improvisation.

Hope to see you there.

The same water that ebbs...

2010-10-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

<a href="http://leonharrell.bandcamp.com/track/the-same-water-that-ebbs">The same water that ebbs... by Leon Harrell</a>

"The same water that ebbs…" is a line from the poem "The Heart
of the Buddha" by Hsu Yun.

No need to chase back and forth like the waves.
The same water which ebbs is the same water that flows.
No point turning back to get water
When it's flowing around you in all directions
The heart of the Buddha and the people of the world...
Where is there any difference?

This piece is the first piece I completed after a long creative drought. I wanted to create a piano piece that borrowed the technical agility found in Ravel’s Sonatine and also use a harmonic language that progressed beyond Impressionist harmonies yet retained the rich quality and warmth found in the piano works of that period.

Although I found the poem after finishing the work I think it captures the process of the piece’s creation. For many weeks I worked not knowing what to do with this piece and wondering if I would ever feel the same way about composing after such a long period of not writing. But during the process I was reminded that often when you don’t know what to do you must allow yourself to just work. Like the water in the poem our creative spirit ebbs and flows, yet it is always around us.

A special thank you goes to the pianist, and fellow composer, Juri Seo for doing an excellent job on this recording.

Airborne

2010-09-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

* * * Best enjoyed with headphones, or really good speakers * * *

<a href="http://leonharrell.bandcamp.com/track/airborne">Airborne by Leon Harrell</a>

Airborne

As a composer of electroacoustic music I create pieces that take advantage of the stereo field and create a true sense of depth. Airborne is the second piece I have composed that is geared towards this idea.

The main goal of the piece was to create a piece centered around flying sounds, sounds that not only move left and right but all around you as you listen. This study in 2-channel environment building sets up a large environment, hones in on a single moving sound source and midway through the piece bursts apart at the seams.

Airborne was composed at the historic EMS studio at the University of Illinois.

I'm a member!

2010-09-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

I just joined as a member of the American Music Center. View my AMC bio page here.

Upcoming performance

2010-09-15T21:52:00.001-07:00

I will be performing with my fellow classmates of MUS 404-A (Improvisation) at the Krannert Art Museum on Sunday, September 26th @ 3pm. The concert will include about 5 pieces by small groups and 1 large ensemble work. All works on this concert feature live musical and dance improvisation.

Hope to see you there, I assure you it will be better than Spinal Tap's Free Jazz Odyssey.