cellist & conductor

Michael is an Australian cellist, conductor, and educator. He’s currently the cellist and co-artistic director of the Australian String Quartet.

His prolific career as a cellist has seen him play in a variety of different musical settings. He was principal cellist of Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, and has been guest principal cellist with Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (NZ), and Orchestra Victoria.

One of Michael’s first loves is chamber music, and he’s had the privilege of working with organisations such as Australian Chamber Orchestra, ACO2, Flinders Quartet, and now with the Australian String Quartet.

Michael was a founding member of the acclaimed Hamer Quartet. Hamer Quartet won First Prize, Grand Prize, and Audience Prize at the 2009 Asia-Pacific Chamber Competition. As a soloist and chamber musician, Michael has given performances at festivals and concert halls around the world. He has studied chamber music with Gerhard Schulz, Paul Katz, András Kellar, Heime Müller, Barbara Westphal, Hatto Beyerle, William Hennessy, Artemis, Tokyo, Jerusalem Quartets and many others.

Michael studied conducting with John Hopkins at the University of Melbourne, and later with Maestro Christopher Seamen as a member of Symphony Services International. During this program, he had the opportunity to work as conductor with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Auckland Philharmonia.

Michael has been a regular guest conductor of Melbourne Chamber Orchestra since 2012. He has also conducted the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra; and orchestras for arts organisations such as Australian National Academy of Music, Melbourne Youth Orchestras, State Music Camp, Youth Philharmonic Melbourne, Corpus Medicorum, Stonnington Symphony, and Australian Medical Students Orchestra.

Michael plays a c.1743 Guadagnini Violincello, Piacenza ‘Ngeringa’