American composer Harold Owen was born in 1931 in Los Angeles, California. Along with an academic career centered mainly on the University of Oregon, he has written compositions for chorus, orchestra, wind ensemble, and solos and chamber ensembles, both vocal and instrumental. Many choral, organ, and chamber works are in print. He has won several composition awards and commissions, including a string quartet for the Coleman Chamber Concerts in Los Angeles. An orchestral work, Periaktos was commissioned by the Eugene Symphony and performed in 1978. Among other noted works are his Concerto for Tuba and Wind Ensemble, and a Mass for chorus and two string quartets.