Eddie Shannon (born 2004) is a composer based in Denton, Texas. He started playing music at the age of 13 playing bass in a blues rock band with his father, and through the years has developed his style to allow blues-like expression with hard classical form. His music explores new harmonic systems with a firm grounding in psychoacoustics and form with the goal of broadening the horizons of expression of music past the confines of the 12-tone system. 

Pieces by Eddie Shannon have been played all over the state of Texas, including at home in Bedford, where he serves as Symphony Manager of Symphony HEB, a nonprofit community orchestra with the goal of providing a place for musical development and expression for busy adults.

Recent highlights include the world premiere of several pieces performed at the Texas New Music Festival, including a solo cello sonata, performed by Bing Wei, a group of quarter-tone flute and piccolo pieces, recorded by Meg Griffith, and a quarter-tone dance piece for the Carya String Quartet and Jennifer Mabus. The dance piece, El huisachillo, reconciles free meter with strict counterpoint, creating a twisting, writhing texture, mirroring the complex structures of the tangled South Texan tree after which it is named. 

Counterpoint with free meter and phrasing is one of the ways Eddie Shannon seeks to further expand the horizons of expression in music, allowing performers to play even an ensemble line exactly how they see fit!

Further highlights include recent concerts by Symphony HEB, with themes such as “Pirates Ho!” and “Magical Moments in Music.” These concerts feature works by John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Paul Dukas, Modest Mussorgsky, as well as occasional world premiere works composed by Eddie himself and other local composers. The unique nature of the ensemble as a place for professionals in other fields helps to redefine who can make music and how they can make music. Each member gained is another person who proves that music can take up just as large a part in your life whether you choose to pursue it professionally or nonprofessionally!

Eddie Shannon is currently studying music business, musicology, and composition at the University of North Texas under the tutelage of such figures as Dr. Dolores August, Dr. Jessica Collado, Dr. Rebecca Geoffroy-Schwinden, Dr. Joseph Klein, and more. He is currently working on a video game through Scrappy Game Studios with an expected release in Winter 2024. If you would like to commission a piece, join or donate to Symphony HEB, or simply get your ear talked off over tuning theory, you can contact Eddie at eddie.shannon5@gmail.com.