Impact and Testimonials
Terry Riley, composer
I was both one of Michaels teachers and a friend. He came down from Oregon to hear Pandit Pran Nath sing a North Indian raga concert at Mills college…I am not sure of the year but probably late 70’s. After that often visited me for lessons and general music guidance before moving to New York for study with La Monte Young and Pandit Pran Nath.
Michael had a very refined sensibility and was attracted to the subtle nuances of raga and just intonation and began to assist La Monte in his performance of the Well-Tuned Piano. The WTP experience made a profound impression and its influence is deeply felt in subsequent works, especially his magnum opus REVELATION.
Following the death of Pandit Pran Nath in 1996, I made trips to Brooklyn to stay with Michael and teach raga. Our friendship deepened and over the years and we continued to support each other.
Michael’s sudden passing was a shock to the music community and his many friends and admirers. His was a brilliant career that ended too soon.
Shabda Kahn, Sufi Pir
Our dear Michael Harrison ~ Abundant Blessings on your Celestial Journey Onwards to a deep and dedicated musician and close friend!
We met at a Sufi camp in the 1980's where I introduced Michael to North Indian Classical Vocal Music practice - Raga.
His heart being captured by the music, I introduced him to my Music Guru - Pandit Pran Nath and he began regular lessons with Guruji whenever he could. He became Guruji’s disciple in early 1990's.
From 1991 - 2001 we went to India every year for a two week Raga Intensive Music School with our Guru (until he died June 13,1996) and Maestro Terry Riley. Later, we were joined by Ustad Hafizullah Khan, Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan, and Srimati Shanti Sharma (today is her URS) and many other wonderful artists and teachers.
We continued our friendship, with Michael living in New York and me in California. He opened one of the largest Steinway Piano showrooms in NYC right by Carnegie Hall. At the same time he kept unfolding the mystery of piano tuned to Just Intonation, composing, giving concerts and developing his mastery and musical expression.
He was with me in India the moment I became Pir, Feb 27, 2001 and when we went out to dinner that night with my Tibetan guru, the 12th Tai Situ Rinpoche.
After Pandit Pran's death, he took initiation with another Raga Master, Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan, who was a next-generation master from our same music lineage, Kirana Gharana.
Throughout his life he continued to be a a very dedicated, profound practitioner of music every day that I knew him. He lived and breathed music.
Our last close encounter was when he was here in California on a fellowship at the Marin Headlands and we sang and played together for our music Guru, Pandit Pran Nath's birthday. The link was already shared on the listserv.
In Remembrance of our Guru Pandit Pran Nath’s Birthday
Michael, we will miss you and know you will be making Music wherever you travel!
David Gersten, President Arts, Letters and Numbers
It is with profound sadness that we share that our dear friend, collaborator, and teacher Michael Harrison has passed away. For so many of us, Michael was not only a musician of extraordinary depth, he was a glowing presence, precise, joyful, generous, and deeply open, someone who shaped the spirit of this community.
I first met Michael through our dear friend Bill Morrison, who had made the film Just Ancient Loops with him and spoke of him with that unmistakable mixture of admiration and affection that tells you that you are about to meet someone rare. Michael agreed to visit us during our very first summer workshop at Arts Letters and Numbers in 2012. He planned to stay for a weekend, he stayed for ten days, and then he returned the next year, and the next, and every year after that, up to last summer, always bringing that remarkable blend of precision, depth, intensity, humor, and deep care for people’s learning.
Michael had a remarkable musical and mathematical mind, and inside just intonation, or true tuning, lives a profound mathematics, a spiral rather than a circle, an opening to the cosmos rather than a tempered tuning that sands off the wolf tone. While it took me a while to understand it, Michael was endlessly patient, making sure that I, and everyone he encountered, could grasp the importance of this way of hearing and understanding sound. He fully understood that embracing the wolf tone was a gate to much larger connections, to the cosmos itself.
During one of our collaborations with UNICEF, in a workshop on ‘information poverty’, I will never forget Michael in real time, with a room full of people from all over the world, demonstrating the difference between tempered tuning and just intonation. He adjusted the piano right there in front of everyone, and the audible shift was powerful, immediate, unforgettable. It was one of his great contributions to that gathering, and a perfect example of the clarity and generosity with which he shared his knowledge.
By his second summer Michael, who was used to working with a grand piano in the concert hall and the refined acoustics of his tuning systems, began to step into the raw, wild, all-night improvisations that defined those early years at Arts Letters and Numbers. I will never forget one night when we were deep in an extended improvisational theater session and I was working with an old wheelbarrow, howling into it like some kind of primordial instrument. I looked up and saw Michael running full speed toward me, wearing a knit cap and pushing a shopping cart. He crashed into the wheelbarrow and into me, and suddenly we were locked in an improvised bullfight, wheelbarrow and shopping cart. In that moment I knew Michael was in. He had found his wolf tone and joined Arts Letters and Numbers.
From that night forward more than a decade of friendship and collaboration unfolded. Year by year Michael brought his soul and sound to Arts Letters and Numbers and over time he built the Arts Letters and Numbers music program, the CMI, gathering an astonishing constellation of musicians including Aleksandra Vrebalov, Payton MacDonald, the Bergamot Quartet, Ashley Bathgate, Vijay Iyer and Terry Riley, many of whom became recurring collaborators with the CMI at ALN.
Among the many works and workshops we created together two shine especially brightly. One was at the RISD School of Architecture in the RISD Museum where at the invitation of Laura Briggs, Michael taught forty architecture students the vocal patterns of Terry Riley’s In C while I worked with them on spatial literacy and improvisational theater. Together we created a performance that moved through the museum, interacting with the paintings, creating a living dialogue between sound, movement, and space. And just last year at RPI in collaboration with Bill Morrison, Ina Filip, Elliot Cole, Benoit Rolland, Mir Naqibul Islam, Adrianos Efthymiadis, Carla Leitao and Edward Keller, we created a piece was called ‘24 Hours at Once’ At the center of Bill Morrison’s remarkable film installation of live feed film from twenty four time zones at once, Michael and company performed a six hour raga that seemed to bend time itself.
Through all of this Michael brought the same qualities to everything he touched, precision, intensity, joy, humor, and a great care for others. In all of life’s moments, a shared meal, a conversation, a game of ping pong, or howling in the rain and mud, he carried that unmistakable Michael-ness, focused, playful, true, and deeply present. His naughty smile, just before a joke, was as present as his laser mind and his other-worldly music.
Michael’s passing leaves a space that cannot be filled. But his music, his teaching, his collaborations, and the countless moments of laughter and improvisation he shared with us remain. They continue to resonate in the barn, in the studios, in the solar system, and in the memories of all who were lucky enough to cross paths with him.
Vadim Neselovsky, pianist and composer
Michael Harrison has been one of the most important people in my life. I first met him at the McDowell Colony in 2013, where we were both composers-in-residence. We connected immediately. I was intrigued and mesmerized by Michael’s unique sonic world. I had never been exposed to the world of Just Intonation before. Michael generously shared with me his process of working on his magnum opus, “Revelation: Music in Pure Intonation.” He was so incredibly humble while showing me all these fantastic, groundbreaking pieces of music.
Despite being such an incredible and accomplished artist, his curiosity and support for others’ work was stunning. I had never met a composer who was as supportive of other people’s music as Michael was.
Our encounter at the McDowell Colony marked the beginning of a long and wonderful friendship and mentorship. Michael supported my desire to branch out into classical music and incorporate my jazz background into concert music. He was generous enough to introduce me to his manager at the time. That led to my first
opportunity to work with a symphony orchestra, which led to more than a decade of collaborations with various symphony orchestras around the world. Each time I collaborate with an orchestra, I am reminded that it all started with Michael’s generous and selfless support.
My fascination with Michael’s groundbreaking music led me to explore minimalism and the works of other composers, such as Terry Riley, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich, all of whom Michael knew well or collaborated with. I see the increasing importance of minimalism in my latest musical projects. I think of Michael often, remembering the tremendous impact he has had on my life and music.
The life of an artist is full of applications, grant opportunities, calls for scores, and so on. Often, one needs a recommendation letter from a respected colleague and mentor. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve asked Michael to write me a letter. He always responded immediately and gave me his full support. So many opportunities in my life have become possible because of his presence.
As a professor at Berklee College of Music, I have shared Michael’s music with countless students. I’m proud and honored to continue raising awareness of Michael’s incredible work among the next generation of musicians. I also constantly share Michael’s story as an example of how a person and an artist should be.
It is still very difficult for me to accept that Michael is no longer with us. He had such an important and vast impact on my life, both as an artist and as a human being. I know I will carry the memory of his beautiful soul in my heart forever.
-Vadim Neselovsky, pianist and composer
Widad Sabina Cox, Raga Student
I would like to share my experience of Michael, as a student in one of his final ragas class series . For the first time in his many years of teaching ragas, he was sharing a sacred Raga from the treasure chest of his Vast Heart - Raga Darbari. At the time and even more so now, i feel reverent awe of being one of the students to receive the sacred bandish that was channeled through and passed on from his Beloved Teacher Pandit Pran Nath. I knew i had stepped into a sacred world of devotion the moment i met Michael. Throughout the course it was as if i was entraining to an amplified translucent heart of purity.
Michael was (and still is) a profound Presence of humility, love, service and devotion, often unexpectedly, even to himself, overflowing with tears as he shared his teacher's melody streams. Being in class with Michael was Holy. And when i sang with him the voice that came through me could not help but reflect the frequencies of the very same heart of love. He candidly offered me the feedback that he heard the voice that came through me like a prayer. I wish i had told him that whatever came through in his Presence was a reflection of the love he infused the atmosphere with... And he still is. I will continue singing as a prayer that is now forever infused by the Vastness of his Spirit.
Zach Tornaben, Composer and Student
Remembering Michael:
I am so grateful to Michael for the gifts he shared, the community he fostered. Being immersed in his teachings and music—singing sa, learning ragas and bandishes with his raga class—has been magic. He was a singular, rational mystic who reminded us to feel harmony resonating in our souls, the relationships of tuning, and taught so much about beginning.
Michael, in his deep intentionality, understood that time was his medium and he inhabited it masterfully. He was changing my life and I loved him. There were so many questions I still had—but he was already so generous and shared so much—how could I ask for more? I'm comforted knowing he will continue teaching me for years to come. The ragas he introduced us to are living souls, and when we perform them, we invite these spirits to join us again and again.
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Creative Music Intensive:
I first learned of Michael, his music, and work through a YouTube interview with him, Christina Vantzou and John Also Bennett. I couldn’t believe it—I was so inspired by Terry Riley, looking towards him for guidance in my own music—and was wondering what happened with the guru-disciple tradition that he had engaged with Pandit Pran Nath. How was it that it wasn’t continuing? Then, I learned about Michael—and here it was. The living embodiment of these teachings. I fell in love with his music, and found Arts Letters & Numbers and the Creative Music Intensive—and I knew it was something I had to pursue. I tuned my electric organ to Michael’s Revelation tuning in advance of the visit. On the morning of Michael’s first raga class, he introduced us to Raga Yaman, call and response with the piano and electronic tambura. It was one of the most beautiful musical experiences of my life. I sang with him every morning for two weeks and was an instant convert to his benevolent cult. One day, I was playing his piano, tuned to his raga tuning, between classes. Elliot Cole came over to me and asked if I wanted to practice Yaman with him. He reminded me how it went, and asked if he could give me some pointers on how to move my fingers to have better technique. For the participants' concert, my first solo electric organ performance, I performed a variation on an alap in Yaman inspired by my time in their community of musicians upstate.
One day, early on at the Creative Music Intensive, I had a personal lesson with Michael in the barn, where I set up my organ and tape machines. He asked me to improvise for him and I played around on the keys, in his Revelation tuning. Afterwards, he told me some of the notes that I was playing were the opening notes to La Monte Young's The Well-Tuned Piano, then he said with a tone that was a mixture of joking, serious, and powerful, “You might want to write that down.” I did! After CMI, I started taking weekly raga classes online with Michael—but I continued to practice Yaman as often as I could. I mainly practiced that raga for three years straight. He told us Pandit Pran Nath practiced only that raga for eight years, I was just getting started.
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Raga Classes: Yaman, Darbari, and Harmonizing Raga:
When we were studying Yaman in the Fall 2024, there was one class in particular where Michael stopped the responses to “take the training wheels off,” playing only the piano. He pointed out chords as he was playing—re ga ni—“hear how beautiful that is?” And moved down the scale with heartbreaking beauty. He shared the bitonality of Yaman, how it has two home notes, and its yearning. When he finished the alap, he commented on how it was a particularly special expression of the raga. With tears in his eyes and a big smile, he said, “The magic isn’t always there—but if you keep practicing day in and day out, the magic happens more often.”
In Fall 2025, we were studying Darbari, the deep and lamenting king of ragas, and though he didn’t disclose it—it became clear he was struggling with something, he was communicating this to us through the music. He was taught this twice by Pandit Pran Nath, and the second time it was during his teacher's final weeks. The bandish Michael was teaching us, he learned from Pran Nath over the phone on his deathbed. There was one class I'll always cherish, he gave all of the students a chance to unmute and do individual call and response. I was the last person to go, we had already reached the high Sa, the climactic moment in the alap—and I would be joining just after that exploring the upper ranges of Darbari which he pointed out can be explored, though for less time than the lower ranges. Everything was a metaphor. I felt his voice quivering with emotion on the flat Ga, and I responded and held back tears. I was crying out with him and did my best to focus and reflect his power, self-possession, emotion, and to invoke the spirit of this raga with him. After we finished, he was reflecting with Rose Okada, another master musician and co-facilitator of these classes on the voices of his students, and he said smiling through tears, “I think Pandit Pran Nath would be really happy”. Another moment in the Darbari classes, he sang all the way up to the high Pa in Darbari in a deep and moving alap—he shared that we really tapped into the rasa of the raga—the essential pathos—which for this raga was filled with a grave emotion. It was supernatural and I became worried about losing him for the first time. He emphasized again, like he did on the magical Yaman class day—the importance of practice, to keep creating more opportunities to get into that special zone of feeling.
He also loved to tell the story of the singer Sheila Dahr, who was instructed by Pran Nath to sing only Sa for a year. And how, early on—when he was eagerly learning new ragas and asked his guru to teach him Malkauns, he instead instructed him to only play Bilawal, the western major scale. At first, they were disappointed—but both were opportunities to go back to the beginning—explore the richness and depth of simple gestures. It was exactly what they both needed. Exploring these foundations with dedication could open things up.
Michael was devoted to the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan, and like him—he made it his mission to tune souls. He helped make my life more musical and harmonious, more full of feeling and depth. So much of it was dreamlike (in the first months of singing with him, I had a dream that my mouth made a polyphonic whistling sound, like a foghorn playing a harmonious chord). I should also stress how funny and joyful and generous he was. I have a video clip on my phone—he was teaching how to harmonize ragas, showing us what would happen if you climbed up the scale with dyad chords of seconds—"it sounds horrible"! Not how you wanna harmonize ragas. He was laughing with glee at breaking his own rules.
Carand Burnet, Student
Since 2023, I have taken several raga singing courses with Michael Harrison through Arts Letters & Numbers. At that time, I was living in a remote part of Maine, feeling isolated and recovering from a health issue that prevented me from playing my instruments. Michael's raga class opened the door to a beautiful, unfamiliar world and marked my first true experience with singing. Through Michael’s patience, insight, and passion as both a musician and teacher, I gained the hope and confidence to discover my own voice. He fostered a warm, creative community, and I am deeply grateful to have been a small part of it. After his classes, I began incorporating singing into my music. Now, as I pursue a degree in speech therapy, I hope to integrate elements of singing into my future practice—a path I likely would not have found without Michael Harrison and his inspiring teaching.
Yiying Niu, Student
Please allow me to share this precious memory of him:
I firstly got to know Prof. Harrison through researches that I was doing for my doctoral thesis. Then I had an interview with him on TWTP, about his experiences with just intonation, with LMY, and with his legendary work Revelation. I was genuinely impressed by his knowledge and kindness. He provided tremendous help through my last year at MSM. The last time we met in person was at Pisticci, after he showed me the tuning of Revelation, with the hope that I could perform it in the future. We had a lovely dinner after the meeting and he kindly offered me a ride.
After I graduated from MSM, I came back to China. However, his music still resonated in my mind So I joined his Raga Class throughout last year. It was such a joy listening to his singing.
It was not long before I decided to perform his revelation in 2027, I received this tragic news.
He has truly the most beautiful and pure soul. He introduced me to a whole new world of music. His kindness, his
love for music and care for his students shed a light in my heart. May his soul rest in peace!
Ruhiya- Student, Singer
I am so sorry for the loss that we will all share. My contact with Michael was one of deep inspiration and he exemplified for me someone who had imbibed the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan, creating a musical bridge between East and West, and inspiring so many musicians to approach and experience music in a fresh and exciting way.
May his music continue to resound in the heavenly spheres.
Yunfei
Student, Founder & Artistic Director of Crescendo Arts Collective
President, New Ear Contemporary Chamber
Remembrance for Michael from Yunfei
I am heartbroken to learn that Michael Harrison passed away a few days ago. I had the privilege of meeting him through ALN and studying with him in several raga classes online during 2020, 2021, and again in 2023. Even though much of our connection happened through a screen during the pandemic, his presence, warmth, and wisdom reached me very deeply.
At that time in my life, I was not completely clear about what kind of composer I wanted to become. Somehow, through his teaching and spirit, he helped shape me. He encouraged me not only musically, but also spiritually, to trust my path and to stay committed to what I truly love doing.
During the difficult pandemic years, the raga classes and the ALN community he helped cultivate filled my heart. My mind and spirit felt focused and clear in a way I had not experienced before. Those classes were more than lessons; they were moments of grounding, reflection, and inspiration.
Michael also encouraged me to attend as many residencies as possible. Following his advice, in 2022 I went to my first residency at Ucross, which he highly recommended. That experience became a turning point for me, and I will always be grateful for his guidance that led me there.
I have met many composition teachers in my life, but Michael was one of the most influential mentors I have ever had. Not because of technical composition lessons in the traditional sense, but because of the spiritual depth he brought to music and to life. He showed that music can be a path of listening, awareness, and humanity.
He was not only a great composer, but also a truly beautiful human being. His spirit, kindness, and musical vision will continue to live in the people he touched.
I feel very lucky that I had the chance to learn from him and to study raga music with him. His influence will always stay with me in my music, in my listening, and in my heart.
Thank you, Michael. Your spirit will continue to guide us. 🤍
Aaron Shragge, Professional Trumpet Player, Former Student
I met Michael over twenty years ago when attending his group class at Faust Harrison pianos. Like so many, studying with Michael transformed my musical trajectory, inspiring both my eventual pursuit of music therapy as well as the development of a custom trumpet to emulate the vocal embellishments in Indian classical music. There are so many memories, from sitting across from him playing tanpura while accompanying Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan in concert, the joys of celebratory dinners with group classes or after concerts, to chanting "Om" together at the end of private lessons. I'm so grateful for Michael's profound warmth, seemingly endless enthusiasm and encouragement over so many years.
Harry Golden, Student
Being part of CMI first as a participant and then technical director truly changed my life for the better and made me love life and music more than I ever thought I could. It's truly a blessing that I could spend time with Michael over these last few years. I cried almost every year when CMI ended at the final meeting. I remember once Michael calling us the 'Cult of the Lake'. Being there, truly felt too beautiful to be true. I feel so lucky to have had that time. I learned from Michael to treat everyone with equal empathy and respect, including myself, regardless of social position, perceived skills or age. It was an incredible honor to have Michael's trust to keep things running in the background as the technical background at CMI and it gave me a trust in myself that I never had before. I know now that I can make things happen, because I know that Michael believed that I can make things happen. I don't know what could be a greater gift.
I wish I made some more pictures of Michael at CMI, especially I hope someone has some records of his fabulous ping pong skills. I included what I could find on the drive link below. Sadly I won't get to play with or against him or make music together or learn from him anymore. I hope that I can pass on what I have learned from him.
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Edward Childs, Student
Michael's early morning raga class was central to my time at ALN, and he made me feel so welcome that I realized I was part of something special. I was so devastated to hear of his passing. I had thought of my brief time with him as the beginning of a long association. Now I can only treasure the memories.
I particularly remember the "Listening Non-Critique" sessions and his observations about our compositions. It always encouraged me to continue writing.
Philip Ellis Foster- Composer, Visual Artist
Michael will be remembered for his kindness to others as well as his outstanding contribution to the music of our time.
Django Gregersen- Student
My name is Django Gregersen, and I am one of the participants from the Creative Music Intensive at Arts, Letters, and Numbers. I am also one of Michael's former Raga Students, where he would send me the Raga videos, and I would watch them on my own time since I couldn't show up to the Zoom classes on time.
Michael Harrison has been one of the biggest and most beloved mentors of my musical career. I met him two years ago at Arts, Letters, and Numbers, where he was the main instructor at the time. What made my experience at ALN so significant was that I was 16 years old during my first year there; I was the first kid to ever attend the CMI, which is normally for adults.
When I got the email saying I’d been accepted into the program, I immediately started doing research on every professor there. I listened to Michael Harrison’s project Revelation, one of his most famous works. Immediately, I understood the importance of his work and what an honor it would be to study with him.
My first year at ALN, I was very young and did not know anything about other styles of music. I like to credit ALN as my first step into the world of Indian raga, minimalist, avant-garde, and other styles of music. Michael Harrison played a huge role in introducing me to this. Because of him, I had opportunities such as meeting Terry Riley and having the once-in-a-lifetime chance to ask him a question during his Q&A.
During my first year at ALN, I attended almost every single class. I was so eager to learn and would go out of my way to help out. I ended up missing one raga lesson because I did not have time to finish a composition, and I felt so heartbroken and sad. I remember going up to Michael with tears nearly in my eyes because I had missed one of his classes. He hugged me and said, “I do not care if you miss a class or not, I know you want to be here.” I still don’t know what made that moment so significant to me, but I think of it every day. I think it meant so much because, as a high school student, school is such a priority in your life, but in the bigger picture, there is so much more to life than school or classes. ALN is not just about attending three classes each day; it’s about the community and the experiences you personally create while there. One of the first things Michael always said on the first day of the CMI was, “It doesn’t matter if you show up to every class or not; you shape this experience however you want to shape it.”
The following year at ALN was even more special than the first. After my first year, I had time to learn and study, now that I had been exposed to this incredible music. Michael Harrison took me under his wing during my second year, and I had so many opportunities to learn from him. I have so many memories of him from this past year; he truly made the experience unforgettable.
One of my favorite memories of Michael was playing ping pong with him until 11 PM. There was a small get-together in town, and all of the ALN participants were invited. After eating with Michael Harrison and some of the other instructors, we went down to the basement to play ping pong. Michael is insanely good at ping pong and was dominating everyone. Eventually, people started heading back to the ALN rooms, and it was just Michael and me. We played for an extra hour and a half, and we both had the time of our lives. This was one of the main moments when I realized that Michael doesn’t see me just as a musician or a student; he sees me as a lifelong friend.
Following that, Vijay Iyer was our guest artist that year for the CMI. His main class focused on improvisational ensembles. The third member of our trio did not want to perform in the improvisation class, and Michael kindly stepped in. We rehearsed in front of Vijay for hours each day. Our performance for Vijay’s concert was one of the most special moments of my life. I attached some of the clips below.
I have so many more special memories of Michael. I cannot express how much he changed my life. Without his support, knowledge, and friendship, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I wasn’t planning on it, but I feel like I should return to ALN this summer in honor of Michael and his impact on me. I thank him for everything he’s done, and I will deeply miss him.