Michael Lee-Smith is a senior undergraduate percussion performance major currently studying with Thomas Burritt and Ivan Trevino at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a member of the UT Wind Ensemble, conducted by Jerry Junkin, the UT Symphony Orchestra, and the UT Percussion Ensemble, and has performed with these ensembles across the country at conventions like TMEA and PASIC.
Michael has seen competitive success on both the national and international stage, most recently winning First Prize at the 2022 Modern Snare Drum Competition in Cleveland, Ohio, and advancing to the live round of the 2022 World Marimba Competition in Stuttgart, Germany. Previously, Michael finished as a semifinalist in the 2021 PASIC Symphonic Mock audition, and also won First Prize at the Tierras Percussion Competition’s Collegiate Marimba Division later that year. Michael also advanced to the final round of the Great Plains International Marimba Competition, as well as advancing to the semifinal round of the Modern Snare Drum Competition, in the summer of 2021. He has also competed in the PASIC Marimba competition in years past, taking second place in 2018 and 2020, as well as First place in 2017 and 2019. Michael has attended and participated in numerous festivals and programs, most recently the Ted Atkatz Percussion Seminar in Los Angeles, and the Hot Springs Music Festival with Dr. Matthew McClung, and has attended and played in masterclasses with notable names such as Matthew Howard, She-e Wu, George Nickson, Ji-Hye Jung, and Matt Strauss. He has also performed Large-scale chamber repertoire while in attendance at these festivals, including Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich and Book of Grooves IV: Dance Groove Drifting by Alejandro Viñao. Michael is committed to pushing the boundaries of contemporary solo and chamber percussion, developing fluency in all facets of classical and ensemble percussion repertoire, and finding competitive solo success on the national and international stages. He is also interested in teaching both individual and group musicianship to students looking to better themselves as percussionists, and is interested in pursuing a career in collegiate education in the future. Michael also pursues sound design, film scoring, and programmatic composition in his free time. |