John Harbison is one of America's most prominent composers. Among his principal works are three string quartets, three symphonies, three operas, and the cantata The Flight Into Egypt, which earned him a Pulitzer Prize. He has written for every conceivable type of concert performance, ranging from the grandest to the most intimate.

His pieces embrace the pre-classical forms of Schütz and Bach, the graceful tonality of Prokofiev, and the rigorous atonal methods of the late Stravinsky. Harbison has been composer-in-residence with some of the world's most prestigious orchestras and festivals, and his music has been performed and recorded by many of the world's leading ensembles.