MIke's journey with the piano began as a four-year-old with his mother as his first teacher. In the summer leading to his sophomore year of high school, He began studying piano with Chiu Ling Lin, who was a piano professor at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. (click here for video) He continued to study with Chiu Ling Lin while pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance and pedagogy. After graduating from Drake, Mike continued studies with Veronica Jochum at The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Through the conservatory, he had many opportunities to learn from some of the finest musicians in the world, including 20th-century piano with Stephen Drury and performing for and with the pioneer in aleatoric music, John Cage.  He also had the privilege of studying microtonal composition and performance with Joseph Maneri.

Mike graduated with a Master of Music degree in piano performance from the conservatory. From Boston, moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and taught private and class piano, improvisation, and M.I.D.I. in

private music school and college settings. He had the privilege of teaching at the summer piano institute at the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, Minnesota for several years. Early on in Minneapolis, his musical and career focus took a turn to the church and he spent many years serving in churches large and small as instrumental director, and worship pastor. As a performer, Mike has performed around the country and his compositions and arrangements have been performed and recorded around the world. As a teacher, Mike teaches classical, jazz, and class piano at the Wausau Conservatory of Music and is quite active as an adjudicator in solo and ensemble and concert festivals working with pianists, brass players, jazz ensembles, and concert bands. Mike spends much of his week serving as director of choirs and financial administrator in a church.  

Mike is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM), a distinction given through the Music Teachers National Association to teachers who have completed stringent requirements and met the criteria that verify demonstrated professionalism and competency in teaching.

Mike teaches at The Wausau Conservatory of Music in Wausau Wisconsin, and serves as the Interim Executive Director.

Degrees, Awards, and Memberships

Nationally Certified Teacher of Music - Music Teacher's National Association
Master of Music in Piano Performance – New England Conservatory of Music
Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy – Drake University
Wisconsin School Music Association
River Valley Jazz Society
American Guild of Organists

DISCOGRAPHY

Recordings available on
Amazon, iTunes, and many others

Or contact for CD availability