Mike Runyan, harmonica

Mike Runyan was born in San Diego and raised in Denver. He began taking piano lessons at age six and played trumpet and horn in grade school. While he was pianist for his high school swing choir, Runyan purchased a chromatic harmonica and learned to play the obbligato offered in one of the choir's songs. Intrigued by the instrument's "button," he wrote a series of pieces exploring the possible styles the harmonica could express.

Majoring in music composition at Brigham Young University and the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati, Runyan ultimately received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree. He has an active career as a composer, arranger, performer, music calligrapher, teacher and orchestra librarian. His orchestral arrangements and compositions have been performed across the country, and he has over 100 published choral works, teaching pieces and arrangements to his credit.

Runyan has performed as harmonica soloists with the Baltimore, Cincinnati, Houston, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh Symphonies, among others, and has worked with conductors such as Marvin Hamlisch, Erich Kunzel, Richard Hayman and Jack Everly. He also loves to play recitals of music from Bach to Brubeck, accompanied by classical guitar and piano. He currently makes his home in Indianapolis.

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