Skyway Opening Day Talk

Patrick Harlin’s “aesthetics capture a sense of tradition and innovation…” (The New York Times). His music is permeated by classical, jazz, and electronic music traditions, all underpinned with a love and respect for the great outdoors. His works have been performed on subscription series concerts by the St. Louis Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, the Rochester and Calgary Philharmonic Orchestras, Collegium Cincinnati, and Calidore String Quartet, among others. CD recordings include the forthcoming Wilderness Anthology by the Kinetic Ensemble, American Rapture on the Grammy-nominated album by the Rochester Philharmonic among others. Patrick was the inaugural composer in residence with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra (2019-2023). He was also the inaugural recipient of the Aspen/Hermitage Prize, which offered a residency at the Hermitage Artist Retreat in Manasota Key Florida. Patrick is to date the only artist-recipient of a DOW Sustainability Fellowship. While at the Hermitage, Patrick met visual artist Anne Patterson, and they have been collaborating since, including on works The Art of Flight with Anne’s art installation Murmuration.

Patrick’s interdisciplinary research in soundscape ecology—a field that aims to better understand ecosystems through sound—has taken him to imperiled regions around the world, including the Amazon rainforest and the Book Cliffs of Utah. His baseline recordings for ecological impact studies are also the fodder for artistic inspiration. Patrick’s research on the importance of soundscapes has been supported by a Graham Sustainability Institute Doctoral Fellowship, Rackham Fellowship, Theodore Presser Award, and private support. The resulting works, the Wilderness Anthology draw parallels between the sounds of the natural world and those of the concert hall, seeking to bring awareness to the importance of sound in our environment. Patrick grew up in Seattle, holds a doctorate in music composition from the University of Michigan, and currently resides in Ann Arbor.