- 1958: Born in Patterson, New Jersey, USA.
- 1981: Enrolled at the New England Conservatory to pursue his Master’s Degree in Music with Vic Firth.
- 1983: Attended the Tanglewood Music Center on a Leonard Bernstein Fellowship. After one of the concerts, he was offered the position of Principal Percussionist and later appointed Principal Timpanist of the Caracas Philharmonic Orchestra in Venezuela. There he learned from Joropo virtuoso Máximo Briceño Teppa after first seeing him perform in a restaurant, becoming one of the leading maraca players in the world.
- 1990: Principal Timpanist of the Milwaukee Ballet
- 1994: Principal Percussionist of the Chicago Sinfonietta.
- 1998: Appointed to the Lyric Opera of Chicago as section Percussionist by then music director Bruno Bartoletti.
- 1999: Premiered Ricardo Lorenz’ Pataruco Concerto for Maracas and Orchestra — the world’s first concerto for maracas soloist with symphony orchestra and the first of three maracas concertos written for him. Pataruco was commissioned by the Chicago Sinfonietta.
- 2001: Appointed Principal Timpanist of the Lyric Opera of Chicago by then music director Sir Andrew Davis. Appointed Head of Percussion at Chicago College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University.
- 2002: Performed as a soloist on the album Paul Freeman Introduces… Vol. 9 — Exotic Concertos (Albany Records), recording Lorenz’ Pataruco with the Czech National Orchestra / Paul Freeman.
- 2007: Roosevelt University sponsored a competition, resulting in two new works for solo maraca dedicated to him: Sam Krahn’s Concerto for Maracas and Percussion Ensemble (premiered by the Chicago College of Performing Arts Percussion Ensemble), and George Tantchev’s Teppa for Maraca Soloist and Eight Percussionists (premiered by the Wichita State University Percussion Ensemble / Gerald Scholl).
- 2008: Performed Lorenz’ Pataruco with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra / Giancarlo Guerrero as part of Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival.
- 2016: Premiered Tim Corpus’ The New American Timpani project at Roosevelt University.
Content Featuring Edward Harrison
- Interview: “The Vibraphone Is an Instrument That Has Been Close to My Heart for Many Years”
- Story: “El Silencio” — New Edward Harrison Project for Maracas
Links
- Website: edharrisonmusic.com
- YouTube: Ed Harrison
- Facebook: Ed Harrison