Micheal Barnes is a member of Three by Radio, the 513 Trio, and the Barnes Duo. He has been an invited performer at the National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, National Flute Association Convention, and International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest. Micheal is actively working to grow the repertoire available to percussionists, having premiered and commissioned over two dozen works to date.
An in-demand clinician, performer, and writer, Micheal has presented papers on percussion pedagogy, embodied cognition, and conceptual metaphor theory at NCPP, PASIC, and the CHRONOS Multi-Disciplinary International Percussion Symposium. He has composed works for solo percussion, percussion ensemble, and steel band and published articles in Percussive Notes and Rhythm! Scene. His theory master’s capstone portfolio focuses on embodied cognition, the interaction of instruments, bodies, and analysis, and the use of Schenkerian concepts in percussion pedagogy. In 2018, Barnes was awarded the American Prize in Solo Instrumental Music and has been a featured soloist with many groups including the University of Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Chamber Choir and Chamber Orchestra. The Barnes Duo (Carly Barnes, flute) was awarded second place in the 2022 American Prize for Chamber Music.
Micheal holds an MM in Music Theory and an MM in Percussion Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a BM from the University of Oklahoma. He is pursuing a DMA at Temple University. His primary percussion teachers include Phillip O’Banion, Jim Culley, Lance Drege, and Stuart Langsam. Micheal is a Vic Firth Educational Artist, Marimba One Educational Artist, and Zildjian Artist.