His works have been widely performed by international ensembles and he was a recipient of the 2013 Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Composers.
[4] Harrison initially studied at the Leeds College of Music (1988–91), before completing a master's degree under composer Gavin Bryars at De Montfort University, Leicester.
[5] Ensembles and soloists who have performed his music include Ensemble recherche, Klangforum Wien, the London Sinfonietta, the London Symphony Orchestra, Apartment House, Plus-Minus, Asamisimasa, ELISION, EXAUDI, the pianists Philip Thomas and Mark Knoop, and the violinist Aisha Orazbayeva.
"[11] Other composers for whom Harrison has expressed an admiration include John Cage, Laurence Crane, Tim Parkinson, James Saunders, Richard Glover, Howard Skempton, Christopher Fox, Linda Catlin Smith, Martin Arnold, and Cassandra Miller.
[4] Harrison has also been influenced by visual artists such as Brice Marden, Agnes Martin, James Hugonin and the painter and printmaker Mike Walker, with whom he has collaborated.