Henry McPherson (b.1995) is a composer, improviser, artist, and researcher from Herefordshire (UK). His portfolio explores creative relationships with the natural world in sound, movement, text, and image. Henry makes works for concert and stage, sound art, installation and exhibition, audiovisual media and interdisciplinary performance. Often, his works focus on plant ecologies and the sights and sounds of woodland and coastal ecosystems. Henry is interested in moss music and microclimates, dialogues with trees, sonic collage, illustrated notation, and dancing with instruments. His developing approach to ‘ecological improvisation’ aims to cultivate inclusive listening and interspecies empathy in and through performance.  

A versatile performer, Henry works actively in experimental music and free improvisation as a pianist, vocalist, and DIY instrumentalist. He is a founding member of the UK-US-French experimental collective The Noisebringers, is the co-editor of the online arts project The MASS. 

Henry's research work focuses on improvisation within social, community, wellbeing, and environmentally oriented initiatives across music, dance, and theatre. He is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Manchester's Creative Manchester research platform, and is a visiting lecturer in sonic improvisation at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland He previously lectured part-time at the University of Huddersfield.

He holds a PhD (2023) in contemporary music and contemporary dance from the University of Huddersfield Centre for Research in New Music and Research Centre for Performance Practice, where he was supported by a collaborative studentship in association with hcmf//. He also holds an MA (2018) and BMus (2017; hons, 1st) in Composition from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.​