BIOGRAPHY

​Michael grew up surrounded by music. His parents were passionate about music and performed in different capacities throughout their lives, which exposed him to a variety of music at a very young age. In his adolescence, he started writing rap alongside his brother, Erick, which sparked a lifelong passion to pursue and live through music. After growing up in Minnesota, he moved to Honduras with his family; the following years produced trials and tribulations of life led him to seek solace in the musical universe. His guitar and his horn became channels for healing and connection. Michael began a journey to play music for the rest of his life to let it fuel his energy and inform his life view.

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"Music offers me universal freedom and love when I approach it with honesty and truth - it gives me access to a higher power. Through improvisation and composition, I have really learned to put myself out there, be confident in myself, and be true to what I know and believe. I've also witnessed firsthand the power of music to heal and bring unity in a world that continues to drift further and further apart."

An entrepreneur at heart, he pursued Business studies and a minor in Jazz Studies at Hope College where he was fortunate enough to be mentored by or study with incredible jazz educators including Brian Coyle, Tony Monaco, Robert Hodson, Jeffery Shoup, Steve Talaga, Jordan VanHemert, and Lisa Sung. He was able to receive masterclasses from world-class musicians such as Benny Golson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Dmitri Matheny, Tony Monaco, Gerard Gibbs, and Delfayo Marsalis, just to name a few.

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"The musical community I encountered in college shaped my life and really pushed me towards studying improvisational music. Through records, conversations, and some well-needed ass-kickings, these were the people who believed in me and pushed me forward. They saw my potential and nurtured it, even when our environment wasn't always the best. For that, I am forever grateful."

Currently, Michael dedicates a lot of time to studying, composing, and familiarizing himself with his instrument(s) and musical environments. Michael has been actively playing in the Chicago area with friends and leading his own projects. He is currently working on playing, recording, and releasing years worth of music and collaborating with as many other artists and organizations as he can. In addition to pursuing his musical endeavors, another one of Michael's long-term goals is to develop education structures in Honduras around artistic development and community through music and entrepreneurship.