103 Morris St, Sebastopol, CA - startmotionmedia@gmail.com

Bio / CV:

As a music teacher, Michael allows each student’s unique character and curiosity to guide the session, cultivating enthusiasm as an essential principal.

A piano player since an early age (in lessons from ages 5 to 23), Michael explored textural composition and harmonic voicing, in addition to technique and performance expression.  He developed early on as an improvisor, by finding new ways of utilizing scales, shapes, and modal chord variety, for maximum expressivity.  As concert pianist, Michael performed hundreds of works during his original classical career, ranging from Mendel, Brahms, Chopin, to Debussy. As a teacher he values a pertinent approach to practice - that daily focus breeds continuous results. His work in sonoma county, and especially sebastopol, has improved the lives of students and families.

In 2005, Michael entered Stanford University as an Arts & Humanities student, Michael,  quickly turning toward piano music as his area of study. In 2006 he was accepted into private lessons with grammy nominated afro-cuban pianist Murray Lowe, as part of Stanford University’s Jazz Studies program. WIth Murray, Michael learned afro-carribean and afro-brazillian piano models, in addition to attending voice courses, as well as those in ear training, and modal composition. After Michael’s music, science, and technology degree, he selected the folk genre, and published over 40 original works.  During that time he collaborated with producer Ben Leinbach and songwriters Daniel Steinbock and  Ayla Nereo.  He now teaches in Sebastopol. 

His upcoming release - ‘Serafima’ , focuses primary on landscape piano that defies categorization, guiding the listener as an exploration of modal tone, where soft scales journey through a widening of chordal environment, against a background more complex harmonics. Serafima will be Michael’s first solo piano album in 10 years, to be released in collaboration with Nova Earth Music in June 2023.