Michael Karmon's music has been performed internationally, most notably by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, New York Virtuosi Singers, Newman and Oltman Guitar Duo, Los Angeles Zimriyah Chorale, and the Intergalactic Contemporary Ensemble. He's 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." Michael's music is published by Theodore Presser Company, and has earned major grants from the McKnight Foundation, the American Composers Forum, the American Music Center, the Minnesota State Arts Board, and others.
As a guitarist, Michael is naturally interested in writing for the instrument, and a portion of his chamber music centers on the guitar. "Four Tales: A Chamber Concerto for Guitar," scored for guitar, clarinet, cello, and percussion, won first prize in the 19th Annual National Association of Composers USA Composition Competition. His "Frets Vs. Fretless" for guitar duo and string quartet is performed often, and he has written for Guitar Foundation of America solo competition winners Denis Azabagic and Joseph Hagedorn. The recent "Caught in the Headlights" was co-commissioned by the Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo, the Gray/Pearl Duo, the Elgart & Yates Duo, and the Goldspiel/Provost Duo.
In his vocal music, Michael sometimes touches on subjects related to Judaism. These pieces include "Reflections: Three Hebrew Songs for SATB Chorus," which won first prize in the Fourth Annual American Society for Jewish Music Composition Competition; the song cycle "I Never Saw Another Butterfly," which was performed at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C.; and the large scale "Voices of Heritage," for which Michael won an ASCAP/Morton Gould Young Composer Award.
His orchestral "And The Rhythm Is Just A Little Bit Off" was the first winner of the annual Haddonfield Symphony Young Composer Competition, and was subsequently performed by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, read by the Minnesota Orchestra, and programmed by the Berlin Radio Symphony.
Michael Karmon (b. 1969) spent his formative years in Israel before returning to the United States in 1986. He has performed extensively with several jazz, concert, and rock ensembles, but dedicated himself entirely to composition when he entered the doctorate program at the University of Minnesota, where he studied with Judith Zaimont and Dominick Argento. He lives in St. Paul with his wife, Jennifer.