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The guitar is featured in all of Michael's recent music, and he's written for three Guitar Foundation of America Solo Competition winners. Recent music includes solo pieces for Martha Masters, Michael Partington, and James Day; two pieces for the Cavatina Duo (guitarist Denis Azabagic and flutist Eugenia Moliner;) and a guitar and violin duo for Duo46. Several pieces have been played recently on tour in the US and Europe, and "Caught in the Headlights" is on the Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo's most recent CD on MSR Classics. Other pieces include "Four Tales: A Chamber Concerto for Guitar," which won a first prize in the 19th Annual NACUSA Composition Competition; and "Frets Vs. Fretless" for guitar duo and string quartet, which is programmed often, including performances arranged by David Tanenbaum in the US and Craig Ogden in the UK. Michael is described in the press as "gifted in his ability to create varied textures and attractive melodies" (Cincinnati Enquirer), and his music as "exuberant," "delightfully clever and colorful," and "invigorating." He is published by Theodore Presser Company, and has won many awards, as well as major grants from the McKnight Foundation, the American Composers Forum, the American Music Center, and others. Michael Karmon (b. 1969) spent his formative years in Israel and returned to the United States in 1986. He has performed extensively as a guitarist in several styles and with a variety of ensembles, but now composes exclusively. Michael holds a doctorate in composition from the University of Minnesota, and lives in California with his wife, Jennifer, and their twin sons, Eli and Eran. The orchestral "And The Rhythm Is Just A Little Bit Off" was performed by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, read by the Minnesota Orchestra, and programmed by the Berlin Radio Symphony. It was the first winner of the annual Haddonfield Symphony Young Composer Competition, and premiered with Alan Gilbert conducting. In his vocal music Michael sometimes touches on subjects related to Judaism. "Reflections: Three Hebrew Songs for SATB Chorus" has been preformed by a dozen choirs, including Cantori New York, New York Virtuosi Singers, and the LA Zimriyah Chorale on a tour of Israel. This piece also won first prize in the Fourth Annual American Society for Jewish Music Composition Competition, as well as top honors in the international Waging Peace composition competition. "Voices of Heritage," a setting of Holocaust-related poems for two singers and instrumental ensemble earned Michael an ASCAP/Morton Gould Young Composer Award.
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