Damien Harron is a percussionist, composer, conductor and educator. Damien until recently held the title of Professor of Contemporary Music at Leeds Conservatoire, where he was Programme Leader for the Conservatoire's BA (Hons) Classical pathways. Following a highly successful career in Higher Education, Damien has recently returned to freelance life, using his diverse and expert musical skill set!

​ As a performer, Damien has appeared with many of the UK’s leading orchestras and ensembles, often appearing as a soloist. He was a co-founder of BackBeat Percussion Quartet with which he has received numerous awards in the UK and abroad. He is very experienced across many genres, having arranged and directed an entire programme of classic pop and jazz songs for Leeds Conservatoire's 2016 collaborations with 80’s pop legend Marc Almond, conducting concerts at The Royal Festival Hall as well as a live BBC video broadcast.

Damien has a PhD in composition from York University. He has composed much percussion music, often influenced by the great global traditions of the world. Damien is also really interested in writing music for performance in a dramatic, theatrical style. He has worked closely with other composers in this field, including Georges Aperghis, Mauricio Kagel and Roger Marsh. He has also composed for orchestra, brass band and has written much music for young people to play, including recent compositions for the Associated Boards of the Royal Schools of Music. In 2002 he wrote a large piece for the BBC Blue Peter Prom, a performance which was televised. Damien is passionate about music education and has been a mentor for Music For Youth since 2001.