Saxophonist Michael Straus' (b. 1983, New Orleans) abilities and dedication to the performance of new music have led to a variety of engagements at venues ranging from Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center and New York City's The Stone to Italy's Festival Internazionale del Sassofono. His strong commitment to today's music, coupled with his close work alongside composers has resulted in over twenty new compositions by both emerging and established composers Halim El-Dabh, Matthew Burtner, Peter V. Swendsen, Per Bloland, Vitor Rua and Liduino Pitombeira among several others. Recent premieres include everything from large chamber works to solo compositions incorporating multi-channel audio and film projection.
Michael's main artistic focus lies in the solo multimedia performance project What are you looking at? This interdisciplinary project has teamed together a collective of forward thinking composers and visual artists from the United States and abroad. Through the combination of new media and technology with contemporary classical and free improvisational forms, this event continues to challenge and excite a wide variety of audiences. Through constant travel and performance he has presented this music in cities throughout the US including New York City, Ann Arbor, Greensboro, Atlanta, Baltimore, Cambridge, Charlottesville and New Orleans.
Michael is also regularly involved in a variety of chamber music activities. His strong interest in electronic music recently led to the founding of Sonic Circus, an electroacoustic duo with bassoonist Dana Jessen. Dedicated to the performance, promotion and expansion of this medium, Sonic Circus recently teamed up with turntablist DJ Dubble8 and electronic musician Katarina Miljkovic for a four-day, three-venue tour of New England. With stops at New Hampshire's Franklin Pierce College, Cambridge's Lilypad and the Boston Cyberarts Festival @ NEC, Sonic Circus is quickly garnering attention. Michael's acoustic chamber music efforts lie in the saxophone quartet quux. With fellow members Dale Underwood, Sheri Oyan and Ed Fraedrich, quux recently performed at the International Navy Band Symposium and served as ensemble in residence at Northwestern State University.
As a frequent composer of electroacoustic music, Michael's compositions have been heard throughout the United States and Canada. His numerous recordings as a saxophonist, didgeridoo player and composer can be heard on SEAMUS, New Tertian and The Walter's Art Museum record labels.
Michael is an Enrico Di Giovanni Scholarship Recipient and winner of several other accolades including two Helen Gold and Derryl Haymon Scholarships and a Peabody Career Development Grant. He holds Master's degrees in saxophone performance and computer music from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor's degree in saxophone performance from Louisiana State University. His teachers have included Ed Fraedrich, Gary Louie, Griffin Campbell, Brian McWhorter and McGregor Boyle.
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