Michael D'Angelo

Michael D'Angelo is a Grammy nominated drummer, multi-instrumentalist, and educator originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Percussion Performance from the University of North Texas, a Master's degree in Jazz Studies from Indiana University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder. He is known for being the winner of Modern Drummer Magazine’s inaugural Undiscovered Drummer Contest at the age of 12, performing at the 2000 Modern Drummer Festival and included in Hudson Music’s DVD release of the event. Michael has performed with a wide array of artists in a variety of musical situations including Doc Severinsen, Dave Brubeck, Mary Wilson, James Carter, Ron Blake, Alan Pasqua, Bob Hurst, Ryan Saranich, Brandon Lee, Greg Gisbert, Annie Booth, the North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra, and the North Carolina Symphony to name a few. As an educator, he has presented clinics and masters classes in the United States and internationally including the Jazz Education Network Conference, Eastern Washington University Jazz Dialogues Festival, North Carolina Music Educators Association Conference, Colorado Music Educators Association Conference, World Saxophone Congress, and Percussive Arts Society International Convention. From 2012-2018, Michael held an instructional position at the University of North Carolina Wilmington as lecturer in jazz studies and jazz drum set instructor. Michael was a member of the University of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band from 2008-2009 and received a Grammy nomination from the band’s annual recording Lab 2009 for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. In 2011, he was invited to participate in the Ravinia Festival's Steans Music Institute for Jazz, an invitation only workshop for rising jazz composers and performers with mentorship from David Baker, Rufus Reid, Nathan Davis, and Curtis Fuller. Currently, Michael is a freelance performing, recording, and touring artist based in the Denver, Colorado and Charlotte, North Carolina area.