Michelle Colton
Independent - Toronto - Canada
Overview
Dr. Michelle Colton is a versatile musician who performs with energy and passion. She plays all of the standard percussion instruments, multiple ethnic drums, and piano. She often incorporates voice into her music. As a composer and singer songwriter, she enjoys collaborating with many different types of musicians. In 2014, her new percussion album will be released, including three of her compositions as well as works by TorQ Percussion members.
She received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in percussion from the University of Toronto in 2013, where she also graduated with her Master’s of Music degree in 2009. She earned her Bachelor of Music Education/Percussion Performance degree from the University of Iowa. Dr. Colton performed in Beijing and Shenyang, China in 2006, and in Tokyo, Japan in 2008 at the Keiko Abe Masterclass. She was a percussion instructor for the 2012 Iowa Ambassadors of Music tour in the UK and Europe. She has studied musical instruments and styles from Japan, India, Bali, Ghana, Trinidad, Cuba, China, and Brazil. She earned first place in the University of Toronto DMA Recital Competition (2011) and Concerto Competition (2009).
She often plays with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and has performed with NEXUS and Dame Evelyn Glennie. She currently teaches percussion at the University of Toronto through a newly developed preparatory program aimed towards community members that she initiated in 2013. She also teaches steel pan, African drumming, drumline, and private lessons. Dr. Colton is an artist/endorser of Adams/Pearl.