Harris Fisher Grossman was born in Airmont, New York. As a child, Harry enjoyed spending time with his friends, watching baseball with his mom, fishing with his father, and arguing with his two siblings. At the age of 10, he moved to Richmond, Virginia and it was here where his musical career truly began. He was introduced to the double bass at the beginning of 5th grade, where, while exploring an instrument petting zoo at his middle school, he was assured he would make an excellent bassist because of his enormous hands!
Harry has performed with many orchestras, including The Hartt Orchestra, the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, and the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra, having served as Principal of each section numerous times. In 2017, he performed as an orchestral soloist across Argentina with the SCSO, in Albert Ginastera's Variaciones Concertantes. Harry has also performed in masterclasses for world-class bassists, including Edgar Meyer, Joseph Conyers, and Hal Robinson.
In addition to performing orchestrally, Harry has a love for performing chamber music. During his time at The Hartt School, he was a member of The Norep Quartet (a name lovingly given to the exceedingly rare grouping of violin, viola, cello, and double bass), which won 2nd place at the 2020 Hartt Chamber Music Competition. Harry and his partner Elizabeth Knaub have come together to form the Ottava Bassa Duo (shortened to 8vb Duo), a premier viola and double bass duo. 8vb Duo prides themselves on being champions of a diverse, yet underutilized ensemble. As an avid performer of new music dedicated to bringing the viola and bass duo to light, Harry has premiered a slew of new works over the years, with many of those being written for and premiered by 8vb Duo. Additionally, Harry was a founding member of the Shenandoah New Music Collective alongside composer Andy Herring.
Harry is a recent graduate of The Hartt School, where he studied with famed new music performer Robert Black. Previously, he studied at Shenandoah Conservatory with virtuoso bassist Dr. Donovan Stokes. Fresh out of school, Harry is ready to share his love of music with the world by performing, teaching, coaching, and collaborating every chance he gets.