Spring !
Welcome to Todd Harper’s website! Thank you very much for coming here.
I will now switch to first person narrative, and tell you things.
Now is the time in my life when my influences are all falling together. In short” I grew up as a “nature boy” son of an ecologist. Also interested in global issues, and in my 20’s discovered free jazz. My head came off. I went from photography to gesture drawing/ block printing. Kept up writing, through being an elementary school teacher. Spent decades as a jazz performer, then new music composer, and now combining them with art and oration. what are they? Visual/Intuitive scores.
Huh? what are they? Here’s one.
“Copious amounts of water” a Visual/Intuitive score for Garrett McQueen, bassoonist, and ( mostly wood) percussion, to premiere on FRIDAY APRIL 7 , 730 pm ,at STUDIO Z with the Euglena Quintet. Garrett will be joined by Michelle Kinney ( cello) Laura Harada (violin) Heather Barringer ( percussion) and Todd Harper, (compositions, orations, eclectic pianos, and hoo ha)
These scores will be projected onto the wall, larger than life for everyone to enjoy.
In this critical time in human history, encouraging music is needed more now than ever. The solution to all our problems are not going to come through technology, government, or other linear ways. We need to life our spirit. This doesn’t mean we ignore pain, sadness, rage; we can take these experiences and transform. I want my music to be able to do that.
What I Do
Experiences
Keys Please: piano music of 3 generations
(2001 – 2016)
For 15 years, Carei Thomas, Paul Cantrell and I curated a yearly concert series, first at MacCalester College, then at Studio Z. We presented new works; jazz , new classical, poemmetry, a weather report. Paul would always perform a work from the Romantic era,,, we had special guests each year,: John Minceski, Gary Schulte, Jaquiline Ultan, Laura Witzkowski, David Edminster, Pat O’Keefe, Bob Ockenden, James Holdman, Nathan Hanson, Kim Sueoka, & Heather Barringer.
Todd Harper. music of outside 