Harris Becker - Baroque Across the River, NY Guitarist & Lutenist

HARRIS BECKER, GUITARIST & LUTENIST

Mr. Becker is an active soloist, chamber musician, educator and adjudicator. Performances have taken him throughout the United States, Europe, South America, Mexico and Canada. New York performances include Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Mr. Becker has premiered many new works for solo guitar and guitar in ensembles. Composers who have dedicated works to him include Raoul Pleskow, Howard Rovics and the microtonal composer, Johnny Reinhard. The Lakeville Journal, CT reviews Becker's performance… "Mr. Becker played these pieces {Bach Lute Suite} with fine musicianship and style…" Director of Guitar Studies at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, Mr. Becker is Founder and Director of the Long Island Guitar Festival, which is about to celebrate its fifteenth season. In 1997, the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs selected Mr. Becker to be part of Florida's Artist Residency program, giving lecture/demonstrations on the history of the guitar, including performances on the lute and Baroque guitar. Mr. Becker has been on the music faculties of the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College and Director of Music for Mixed Ensembles at the International Institute for Chamber Music at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich. During the 2001-2, season Mr. Becker presented two series of lectures, "Exploring Music" and Aspects of 20th Century American Music at the Bruce Museum of Art in Greenwich, Connecticut. In the summer of 2001 Mr. Becker participated in the Summer Chamber Music Festival at Long Island University giving master classes and a concert with the Pierrot Consort and at the "III International Guitar Festival Pro-musica/SESC" in Caxias do Sul, Brazil. His transcriptions and editions are published by T.D. Ellis Music Publishing.