Michelle Humphreys
percussion

meh@umbc.edu

Michelle Humphreys is a versatile artist, performing widely as a classical percussionist, world music instrumentalist, and drummer. She is Principal Percussionist with the Baltimore Opera Company, Opera Lafayette, and Opera Vivente, and maintains a busy performing schedule in Baltimore, Washington D.C., and New York. Other performing affiliations include American Opera Theater, Concert Artists of Baltimore, Robert Macht Gamelan Ensemble, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, and Foundling (Rhode Island). She is also active in the popular music world as a performer and studio-recording artist. In addition to a busy performance schedule, Ms. Humphreys is Director of Percussion at Shepherd University, and teaches on the faculty of University of Maryland, Baltimore County. An instructor with the St. Paul’s School, she also teaches percussion, hand drumming, and drum set, and is founder and director of the Summer Percussion Ensemble at St. Paul’s.

As a Visiting Artist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Arts Excel! program, Ms. Humphreys created many original arts-integrated educational programs for school children, which use the language of music and percussion to support curriculum studies such as math and literature. In her role as an Artist Trainer for the BSO, Ms. Humphreys coached other performers on the development of similar presentations for the Arts Excel! program.

Currently serving as President of the Maryland Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society, Ms. Humphreys directs the annual PAS Day of Percussion, an event which features distinguished clinicians and performers from around the world and attracts over 250 professional and amateur percussionists each year.

Ms. Humphreys earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Towson University, where she won the Peggy and Yale Gordon Concerto Competition. She holds a Master of Music degree in Percussion Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, and is currently working on her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in performance at the University of Maryland, College Park.