Michael Lee-Smith is a contemporary percussionist and composer currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in percussion performance and electroacoustic composition at the Eastman School of Music under Michael Burritt. He is a performing member of the Eastman Percussion Ensemble and coaches Eastman’s Chamber Percussion Ensemble. He focuses on solo and chamber repertoire and contemporary mixed chamber music. He teaches at Eastman’s community music school as well as undergraduate percussion courses within the university.
Michael is co-founder and Artistic Director of Blacktop Percussion: an award-winning percussion trio based in Rochester focused on cross-genre collaboration and immersive performances. Blacktop recently toured with the Chicago-based ensemble Bridge Percussion, where they performed a lighting-integrated program of new commissions and compositions. Blacktop has commissioned many new works from composers outside of the classical contemporary space, and work with new composers regularly. Blacktop also underwent a full performance of Andy Akiho’s Seven Pillars in the spring of 2023 with its original membership.
Michael has seen competitive success on both the national and international stage, most recently competing in the IPEA International Percussion Competition in Shanghai, China. He has previously won First Prize at the Great Plains International Marimba Competition, the Percussion Conservatory Scholarship Competition, and the Modern Snare Drum Competition, as well as winning second prize with his trio at the Coltman Chamber Competition. He regularly travels internationally for competitions and festivals, including to Switzerland, Germany, and England.
Michael’s primary area of interest is in integrated performances featuring curated continuous programs with full light, audio, and video elements, designing synced lighting for each of his solo performances, and composing electronic interludes to play between each piece. He has featured these elements on his ongoing series The Integrated Recital Project, which showcases evening-length programs of contemporary solo and chamber music. Many of Michael’s compositions were written for these recitals, and it continues to be a focus of his study.