
B i o g r a p h y
Harrison Sheckler, born on April 23, 1996, is a distinguished musician, educator, and composer hailing from Charles City, Iowa. He is currently advancing towards his Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) in Piano Performance at the University of Arizona, with an anticipated completion in 2025. Harrison studies under the guidance of Dr. John Milbauer and Dr. Daniel Linder and is pursuing a DMA minor in Composition under the mentorship of Dan Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Dr. Soyeon Kate Lee, and a Master of Music degree from the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Jeffrey Biegel.
Harrison’s career is marked by numerous accolades and achievements. He won the 2014 Terrace Hill Endowment for the Musical Arts Competition, earned honors in the Music Teachers National Association Senior Piano Duet Competition, and received several prestigious scholarships and awards. His orchestration skills were showcased in 2021 when the Dallas Symphony premiered his work on Jeffrey Biegel’s piano piece, "Reflections of Justice: An Ode to Ruth Bader Ginsburg," with a subsequent full performance in Florida by the Space Coast Symphony.
During the pandemic, Harrison innovatively connected with audiences and artists. His Virtual Choir Project COVID-19 turned the classic “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel into a global phenomenon, amassing over 1.9 million views on YouTube and featuring 300 participants from 15 countries. A baseball-themed follow-up involved former Major League pitcher Bronson Arroyo in a virtual rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
His most recent virtual choir project, released in January 2024, features two-time GRAMMY® award winner Gloria Gaynor in a new gospel music video titled “Talkin’ ‘Bout Jesus,” a song from her GRAMMY® award-winning album Testimony. This collaboration, celebrated for its themes of hope and spiritual resilience, highlights Harrison’s innovative use of technology to bring together vocalists from around the globe.
In addition to his artistic endeavors, Harrison serves as the Director of Music at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Olathe, Kansas, and is an adjunct piano professor at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. He previously served as Visiting Professor of Piano at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, and as the primary pianist and organist at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Charles City, Iowa, and St. Francis de Sales Parish in Tucson, Arizona.
Harrison’s scholarly pursuits include a dissertation focused on the music of Swiss composer Charles Samuel Bovy-Lysberg, a student of Frédéric Chopin. Harrison has championed Bovy-Lysberg’s underrepresented works, recently releasing Volume 1 of the composer’s piano music under the Halidon Music label.
Outside his professional life, Harrison enjoys nature, the arts, and sports. He is an avid fisherman, downhill skier, and baseball enthusiast. His diverse talents also extend to acting, having appeared in director Tommy Stovall’s feature film Condition of Return alongside AnnaLynne McCord, Dean Cain, and Natasha Henstridge.
Harrison’s dedication to the arts and education continues to inspire audiences worldwide through his performances, teaching, and innovative projects.