PHIL HARMONIC (Kenneth Werner) was born in Newton, Massachusetts on June 10th, 1949. In 1964, he found the writings, compositions and performances of John Cage and David Tudor, Alvin Lucier, and Nam June Paik and Charlotte Moorman much more fascinating than his traditional high school music theory classes and so began an effort to communicate with and learn from many who were active with new and electronic music and multi-media. Was the first Once Group Fan Club, according to Anne Wehrer, 1965. Performed with the Sonic Arts Union (Ashley, Behrman, Lucier, Mumma) in Boston, 1966. Organized and performed in a four-hour-long evening of new music performances in a dormitory lobby, New York University, Washington Square, 1967. Began a yearly series of new music performances as celebrations for Beethoven's Birthday! 1967 ("Ken Werner made Beethoven famous."— Nam June Paik). Beginning with The Radio Music City Hall Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, 1968. Several solo performances, including outdoor "Street Events," presented in Germany, England, Belgium, Holland, Summer 1969.
Received BFA from California Institute of the Arts, 1971, and MFA from Mills College, 1973. Beginning earnestly becoming Phil Harmonic, with Image Bank, Vancouver, and General Idea, Toronto, Canada, 1972. Heard on record with Jacques Bekaert (Summer Music 1970) and "Blue" Gene Tyranny (Just for the Record), both on Lovely Music. Phil passed away in 1992.
Biography from1980
HARMONIC DISCOGRAPHY