Bassoon

"Its tone is not very strong and, being devoid of brilliance or nobility, has a tendency toward the grotesque."

- Hector Berlioz, 'Treatise on Instrumentation'

The bassoon is Michael's second instrument, which he began playing in 2008 (passing his Grade 8 with distinction less than three years later). He can frequently be found playing the instrument in an orchestral setting, a role which has allowed him to perform many of the most iconic classical solos such as in Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade.

Outside of the symphony orchestra, Michael has been known to play bassoon as a doubling instrument for musicals including Seussical, West Side Story and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Furthermore he recently made his first foray into the wonderful world of pantomime, where the instrument was used to represent Snappy the Crocodile in Lichfield Garrick's 2021/22 production.

Michael often finds himself recording the bassoon in his capacity as a remote session musician. As well as conventional classical styles, he is sometimes required to record in more contemporary idioms ranging from pop to free improvisation and incorporating advanced techniques like multiphonics, lip bends and flutter tonguing.

Saxophone (soprano/alto/tenor/baritone)

"Ohh, my ears! Lisa, put that saxophone away!"

- Bart Simpson, 'Do The Bartman'

Michael's relationship with the saxophone began in 2010, when he was given five weeks to learn to play alto for a local theatre production. He rose to the challenge admirably, and from then on has never looked back. His collection gradually expanded to also include soprano, tenor and baritone, which he has collectively played in 29 musicals so far (including 27 performances of the West End production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

But it's not just in the theatre that you can hear Michael's smooth saxophone sounds. He also plays the instruments in The Sam Jewison Orchestra and the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra, roles which in recent years have taken him as far afield as Florence and Valletta to perform. Always keen to span the genres, he has also played in Iron Tyger (a rock group), Silk Street Jazz Band (a trad. jazz group) and The Flyboys (which lies somewhere in between).

Michael's work as a remote session musician regularly sees him recording saxophone parts. These range from notated military band arrangements to jazz features to improvised solos in a variety of pop and rock styles, thus making full use of his musical versatility.

Flute (/piccolo)

"What's even worse than a flute? - Two flutes!"

- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Michael began playing the flute in 2010 (adding piccolo in 2014), in an effort to increase his versatility as a wooding doubler and allow him to take on more pit orchestra work. Adjusting to life without a reed was always going to be a challenge, but over time Michael and his flute have become good friends, to the point where clients are often surprised to learn that it is not his first instrument.

Most of Michael's performance work on flute is in musical theatre and pantomime. To date he has played it in 23 productions, including most recently Lichfield Garrick Theatre's 2021/22 pantomime All New Adventures of Peter Pan. He also plays flute in jazz/swing group The Sam Jewison Orchestra (in combination with clarinet and saxophone).

Michael is frequently called upon as a session musician to record flute parts for various albums and projects, often spanning a wide array of genres. For instance, his playing can be heard on 2021 psychedelic prog. rock album The Emporium of Mr. Maleforium as well as Jack Mitchell Smith's upcoming gothic musical theatre concept album Morella.