Biography

Praised by the San Francisco Chronicle for his “sweet but potent birdsong,” Denver native Michael Williams was appointed as Second Flute with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra for the 2017-2018 season.  Michael has performed frequently with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and Lexington Philharmonic, including performances as guest principal, as well as engagements with Island City Opera and Opera Parallel in the Bay Area, and the Bloomington Chamber Singers in Indiana. Michael was an orchestral fellow with the National Orchestral Institute and a featured artist for three seasons with the Switchboard New Music Festival. He has been a member of the Denver Young Artists Orchestra and the acclaimed San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Also passionate about teaching, Michael maintains a private studio in Denver, frequently coaches at his alma mater the Denver School of the Arts, and has performed with the Up Close and Musical Chamber Orchestra for their Symphony Spotlight school presentations. While a graduate student at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, Michael was an Associate Instructor of Flute where he taught private flute lessons for non-majors and led group technique classes for undergraduate performance majors. He holds a Master of Music from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His main teachers include Thomas Robertello, Tim Day, Catherine Payne, Alexa Still, and Catherine Lum-Peterson.In addition to his performance activities Michael is also an experienced fundraiser and arts administrator. He has held administrative positions with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Conservatory, A Child’s Song and the Studio, Colorado Symphony, and the Denver Young Artists Orchestra.