Harrison Sheckler

Harrison Sheckler (born April 23, 1996) is an American classical pianist, composer, conductor, and actor, best known for his work with virtual choir performances.

Early life

Sheckler was born in Rochester, Minnesota, and grew up in Charles City, Iowa. He began playing piano at the age of six and violin at the age of eight. In 2014, he won the Terrace Hill Endowment for the Musical Arts Competition, which was broadcast on Iowa Public Television.

He earned a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and a Master of Music degree in piano performance from the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College.

Sheckler is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance at the University of Arizona.

Career

On October 7, 2021, Sheckler's orchestration of Jeffrey Biegel's piano piece ''Reflections of Justice: An Ode to Ruth Bader Ginsburg'' premiered with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as part of a concert honoring the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The program also featured the premiere of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's ''Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg'' for voice, piano, and orchestra, with performances by American mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves and pianist Jeffrey Biegel.

Sheckler has pursued a multifaceted career as a pianist, composer, and educator. He served as a visiting professor of piano at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa during the winter semester of 2021, and again for the 2023–2024 academic year. He is currently an adjunct instructor of piano at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.

In addition to his academic roles, Sheckler serves as the director of music at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Olathe, Kansas, where he oversees the music program for multiple weekend services.

Virtual choir

In March 2020, Sheckler launched the Virtual Choir Project COVID-19 by inviting fellow musicians and amateur singers to submit vocal recordings of the show tune "You'll Never Walk Alone", from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ''Carousel''. Believing the song's lyrics resonated with the need for hope during the COVID-19 pandemic, he reached out to every high school choir director in Iowa, as well as friends and colleagues, to recruit participants. Ultimately, he received 240 vocal submissions and 60 instrumental accompaniments from 15 countries, including Germany, Israel, South Africa, and Vietnam.

Sheckler spent 200 hours editing and combining 300 individual videos into a single virtual choir performance, arranging the piece to sound like a full orchestral work. The final video was released on YouTube on May 1, 2020, and went viral, garnering over 1.5 million views. It became one of the top 20 virtual choir recordings on the platform. Online collaborations and virtual choir performances, including "You'll Never Walk Alone," were widely recognized as part of the cultural soundtrack of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In July 2020, Sheckler collaborated with former Major League Baseball pitcher and musician Bronson Arroyo to produce a virtual choir performance of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." The project featured current and former players, including Cy Young Award winner Bret Saberhagen, along with announcers and baseball personalities, totaling 200 participants.

In January 2024, Sheckler collaborated with singer Gloria Gaynor to release a gospel music video titled "Talkin' 'Bout Jesus." The song, featured on Gaynor's Grammy® Award-winning album ''Testimony'', celebrates themes of hope and spiritual resilience. The project featured the Sheckler Virtual Choir—an innovative ensemble of vocalists from around the world brought together through digital technology to create a unified performance despite geographic distance.

The video also included contributions from featured vocalist Kymberli Joye and musicians Elise Trouw, Anna Sentina, Sophie Giuliani, Harrison Sheckler, Steven Alesso, Grace Kelly (musician), and The Brass Twins, along with 60 choir members from across the United States. The ensemble created a rich, layered sound that embodied the spirit of gospel music. The video was released on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, reinforcing its message of hope and unity.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheckler, Harrison
1996 births
Living people
American classical pianists
University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music alumni
People from Charles City, Iowa