Harry González is a Colombian composer, violinist, pianist, and educator. His music reflects his interpretation and feelings on existential issues, personal experiences, and family background by constantly seeking new sounds and techniques in his compositional process. He plays with contradictory ideas to create ambiguous sonorities, and sensations and defy listeners’ expectations. In his most recent works, this is noticeable in his use of microtones combined with tonal and modal melodies, out-of-tune passages, and the implementation of real-time instrument preparations and scordatura.
His music has been commissioned by Sheldon Arts Foundation, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Mizzou New Music Initiative, Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra, and Periscopio at Universidad EAFIT. It has been performed during the 2025 Mizzou New Music Ensemble South America Tour in Medellín and Bogotá, the XIV Cartagena Music Festival, Concurso Nacional Violinissimo (Medellín), and Colombia se Compone (Bogotá); at Contemporáneos III in Costa Rica; and in the USA at the 10th Connecticut Summerfest, Mizzou Student Composers Recitals, Missouri Composers Project, Del Mar International Composers Symposium, Odyssey Chambers Music Series and The Sheldon Concert Hall in collaboration with St. Louis Symphony Orchestra players and the 8 th and 9th New Music on the Bayou.
González has gained important experience conducting his works with Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra players; playing violin with Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra and popular music ensembles; premiering his pieces that include violin or piano; and working as a teaching assistant for the Mizzou New Music Initiative, including the Mizzou International Composers Festival 2023-24 and the Missouri Summer Composition Institute 2023-25. Additionally, he has taught piano, violin, theory, and composition lessons to a wide range of students with different backgrounds and goals in Colombia and the USA. González is pursuing his Master of Music degree in Composition at the University of Missouri with the guidance of Stefan Freund and Utku Asuroglu and will join the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Fall 2025 to pursue his DMA in Composition.