Michael Shingo Crawford

Michael Shingo Crawford is a Philadelphia-based composer and violinist who explores narrative and extramusical ideas through sound. His work is inspired by literature, visual art, dance, and his Japanese heritage.

Michael holds a Master’s in Music Composition from Temple University, where he studied with Emiliano Pardo-Tristan, Jan Krzywicki, and Adam Vidiksis. Within these two years, he received twenty-four premieres of his works, presented by performers including the PRISM Quartet, Sound Energy Trio, and Philadelphia Orchestra Musicians. His opera scene, Maximum Capacity, produced in collaboration with writer Traci Williams, was performed by ENAensemble as part of their Serial Opera Project and received repeat performances as part of the Fringe Festival in Philadelphia. His interest in collaborations has also led him to work with choreographers in projects that brought together live musicians and dancers. He has been commissioned by the Network for New Music and OWLchestra.

As a violinist, Michael has performed with the Independence String Ensemble, playing in both classical and popular styles and bringing a unique array of arrangements and original compositions to his audiences. The ensemble reached its home in Philadelphia as well as the neighboring cities of New York and Washington D.C. Michael also performs regularly with ENAensemble, a multimedia chamber opera company. His engagements include a performance in Yerevan, Armenia as a member of the 2019 World Congress for Information Technology Orchestra as well as a recital of Baroque and Classical works presented at the historic Laurel Hill Mansion’s Concerts by Candlelight series with internationally recognized pianist, Lance Wiseman. For both 2018 and 2019, he was concertmaster of Temple Composers Orchestra, a chamber orchestra dedicated to performing Temple student compositions. While studying at Emory University, he served as concertmaster of the Emory University Symphony Orchestra and was the winner of the 2015-2016 Concerto and Aria Competition with his performance of the Barber Violin Concerto. Over the summers, he has attended the WestBen Performer-Composer Residency, zFestival, Dalí Quartet International Music Festival, Fresh Inc Festival, Eastern Music Festival, and the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute. He teaches violin, piano, and music theory lessons in his private studio.

During his undergraduate studies at Emory University, he studied composition with Richard Prior and John Anthony Lennon and violin with Shawn Pagliarini. He presented an honors composition recital in his senior year, where his music was performed by the Vega String Quartet, Elena Cholakova, and Emory’s student and alumni musicians. He was a recipient of the Louis B. Sudler Prize in the Arts, a prestigious award presented to the graduating senior who demonstrated the highest proficiency in one or more of the performing or creative arts at Emory.