Michael Colgrass (b. April 22, 1932, Chicago, Illinois) is an American-born Canadian musician, composer, and educator.
His musical career began in Chicago as a jazz musician (1944 - 49). He graduated from the University of Illinois (1954) with a degree in percussion performance and composition, including studies with Darius Milhaud at the Aspen Festival and Lukas Foss at Tanglewood. He served two years as timpanist in Seventh Army Symphony in Stu...
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Michael Colgrass (b. April 22, 1932, Chicago, Illinois) is an American-born Canadian musician, composer, and educator.
His musical career began in Chicago as a jazz musician (1944 - 49). He graduated from the University of Illinois (1954) with a degree in percussion performance and composition, including studies with Darius Milhaud at the Aspen Festival and Lukas Foss at Tanglewood. He served two years as timpanist in Seventh Army Symphony in Stuttgart, Germany and then spent eleven years supporting his composition activities as a free-lance percussionist in New York City where his performance experiences included such varied groups as the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, The Metropolitan Opera, Dizzy Gillespie, the Modern Jazz Recording Orchestra's Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky series, and numerous ballet, opera and jazz ensembles. He organized the percussion sections for Gunther Schuller's recordings and concerts, as well as for recordings and premieres of new works by John Cage,...
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