Michael Christoph has built a solid reputation combining solo and collaborative performance, orchestral and operatic playing, and music education. He has received degrees in Bassoon Performance from Tennessee Technological University and the University of Arizona, and he is currently completing his Doctorate in Bassoon Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Colorado in Boulder. In addition to his primary teachers Yoshiyuki Ishikawa, William Dietz, and James Lotz, Michael has studied with Michael Kroth, Michael Burns, and William Winstead.
Michael served as principal bassoonist at Opera in the Ozarks from 2004-2005, performing repertoire as diverse as Mozart’s Die Zauberflote, Bizet’s Carmen, Sondheim’s Into the Woods, and the American premiere of House of the Sun by celebrated Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara. Other professional orchestral engagements have included appearances with the Niwot-Timberline Orchestra and the Colorado MahlerFest Orchestra along Colorado’s Front Range, as well as appearances with the Cumberland County Playhouse and the Vanderbilt University Orchestra in the Nashville area. Michael has also served as co-principal bassoonist at the Sewannee Summer Music Festival and the Colorado College Summer Chamber Music Festival.
A dedicated chamber musician, Michael has enjoyed much collaboration in addition to his work with the Boulder Bassoon Quartet. Successful performances have included works for bassoon, flute and harp; for bassoon and string quartet; for mixed ensembles such as Beethoven’s Septet op. 20; and duos with flute, clarinet, cello, and piano. He has performed with many wind quintets, including as a founding member of the Elision Wind Quintet in Tucson, AZ. In 2009, Michael coordinated a fully realized performance of Paul Hindemith’s Concerto for Trumpet, Bassoon, and String Orchestra. Eager to promote new and unfamiliar music to audiences and colleagues, Michael introduced to Colorado’s Front Range the Sonata for Bassoon and Piano by Einojuhani Rautavaara, and he co-commissioned Bill Douglas’ new Quartet for flute, oboe, bassoon, and piano.
Education plays a strong role in Michael’s musical activities. In addition to teaching individual lessons, he has toured the public school systems of Tucson, Sedona (AZ), and Boulder, presenting a variety of educational programs at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. Michael pursues a passion for sharing with others the enjoyment of all types of music; he tutors Music Appreciation through the Athletics Assistance program at the University of Colorado, and he has presented lectures in Music Appreciation, Music History, and Rock History at the University of Arizona and the University of Colorado.