Symphonic and operatic conductor offering focused, high-level teaching in theory, composition, and conducting.

Learn more about Michael

• When did you first develop a passion for music and your favourite instrument?

  Music is the main way I express myself, and my passion for it developed alongside me as I grew up. I learned several instruments and musical disciplines, but during my (relative) youth, cello was the one I got very good at, and it was that instrument that was at the core of my musical sense of self for some time.

• Is there a particular type of music or artist that you listen to on a loop without it driving you crazy?

  Like so many people, it can depend on my mood, the time of day, or what I'm doing. My tastes are broad, though I consistently clean the house to Bach. I am fascinated by the relationships between conductors and
  orchestras/opera houses with long recording histories, and I'm a sucker for anything from the romantic period and twentieth century. Give me Brahms, Bruckner and Shostakovich any day of the week, please.

• Explain to us the most difficult or riveting course you could personally give to a student of music.

  That would be the course that most interests the student. Many students are fascinated by conducting technique and the way music can be communicated to players through gesture. Others want to understand how harmony evolved
  during the late 19th century. Some want me to help them unravel the orchestration techniques of the past 100 years. Some just need help getting through a particular assignment. The teaching that interests me the most is that which has the student leaving the lesson feeling like they have become a better musician.

• What do you think is the most complicated instrument to master and why?

  Any musical discipline is hard to master if you're committed to doing it well. There is no such thing as a perfect performance, though we should always strive for it.

• What are your keys to success?

  Finding the correct balance between technique and inspiration. One always wants to feel good about making music, and to put ourselves into the work we do, but there's always a technical foundation to musical expression. I always want to give students the knowledge that best allows them to achieve
  their artistic goals.

• Name three musicians you dream of meeting in your favourite bar in the early hours of the morning. Explain why.

  I would choose to become an early morning, scotch-addled, bar student of
  three dead composers...
  - Mahler, for his late-period harmony, particularly how to work with long
  harmonic dissonance
  - Shostakovich, for his unique sense of melody, particularly in his slow
  music
  - Bach, because good counterpoint is a life-long pursuit, and he is the
  master of counterpoint.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to music or your days at music school.

  There would be too many to count, but a running theme across my greatest learning moments is that the most growth has always come from the times I have risked pushing beyond my previous limits.

• What are the little touches that make you a Superprof in music?

  I try very hard to be sensitive to how each student prefers to learn. Take an element of harmonic theory for example; each student needs to know how a particular chord sounds to the ear, also what is looks like written on the page, and also how it functions within a musical phrase. However, each student needs those three points of information - sound/look/function - in
  an order or with a weighting that is particular to their learning style. Learning how a student best consumes new musical info is a key to success.