a bit about me

Hi friends - Based in Austin, TX, where I live with my wife and 2 year old son, I split my time as a singer, trumpeter, armenian duduk player and pianist.

As the Director of Music at St. Thomas More Catholic Parish, I lead masses as Conductor, Singer, Trumpet player and Keyboardist. As an ensemble and solo singer, I sing with professional organizations such as the multiple grammy winning Crossing Choir and Conspirare, grammy nominated Skylark Vocal Ensemble, the Clarion Choir and Cappella Romana, Seraphic Fire, the St. Tikhon Choir, amongst others. The St. Tikhon Choir’s 2020 recording of Benedict Sheehan’s Liturgy was nominated for a Grammy in Best Choral Performance, and you can hear my solo voice throughout the album. It was one of the greatest honors of my career to sing that miraculous music. I recently earned my Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Texas at Austin, and my passion lies in collaboration and heartfelt performances of meaningful music, and I seek out meaningful collaborations with my music friends and colleagues, to try and speak to the humanity in us all.

My trumpet has taken me abroad playing with the National Symphony of Taiwan, as well as in the Dominican Republic, locally with the Detroit and Grand Rapids Symphonies and Chicago’s Music of the Baroque, among others. I’ve performed professionally on such stages as Carnegie Hall, Barbican Centre, the National Theater of Korea, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and many others around the world.

Recording and premiering meaningful music is a hugely important part of my musical life. This past season, I released two albums, music of which hadn’t been recorded yet, with pianists Eugenia Jeong (Florence Price, Her Song), and Renan Branco (Confined). I’ve been a part of 25 albums recordings, professionally. For more and to listen, visit this discography page. A recent premiere I commissioned was “If I Must Die” poem by Palestinian scholar and poet, Refaat Alareer, which was set to music by Shireen Abu-Khader.

I hope to cross paths with you, and share meaningful music and conversation.

Cheers,
Michael