Education
- D.A. in Music Composition and Technology from Ball State University
- M.M. in Music Technology from Georgia Southern University
- B.M. in Music Industry from Minnesota State University, Moorhead
Biography
A Minnesota native, Dr. Michael James Olson earned his B.M in Music Industry at Minnesota State University, Moorhead, his M.M. in Music Technology from Georgia Southern University, and his Doctor of Arts in Music Composition and Intermedia Art from Ball State University, where he was an Institute for Digital Intermedia Art Fellow. His creative work spans genres and mediums, from classical to contemporary, and avant garde to musical theatre. He has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe, and his music and production can be heard on more than 50 albums which have been licensed to networks such as MTV, E, ABC, Showtime, TLC, FOX, Animal Planet, VH1, Spike, PBS, and more. His concert music and installations have received nearly 200 performances and exhibitions in the US and throughout the world including Denmark, Germany, UK, Ireland, Italy, Argentina, India, and Spain, among others. Michael currently serves as Interim Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Recordings
- 2019: Michael James Olson, “What Comes After,” Columbia Sounds, (Composer/Producer).
- 2017: Michael James Olson, “Before Reminiscence” METropolis, Volume 1, Beneficience Records, (Composer)
- 2017: Michael James Olson, “Murmurs” on Sn (Stannum), Janus Music and Sound (Germany), (Composer)
- 2016: 32 Below, EP Sessions, UIRF Records, (Songwriter)
- 2016: 32 Below, I Wrote For You [Single Release], UIRF Records, (Songwriter)
- 2015: Blue Muse, Blue Muse Live!, Dolphinium Records (Engineer, Producer)
- 2015: Kimberly Beasley, Fashion Sense: Songs In Recital, Dolphinium Records (Engineer, Producer)
Performances/Presentations
2019:
- Guest Artist Residency and Performance, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT.
- 2019: Edwards Distinguished Professor of the Arts Residency, Marshall University, Huntington, WV.
- 2019: F(r)E(e)D(o)M with Aaron Humble, MoxSonic Festival, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO.
- 2019: Solo Performance, 2/24, Root Signals Electronic Music Festival, GA.
2018:
- Set Me As A Seal, Jacksonville University Choir, Electroacoustic Barndance, Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, FL.
- “Unraveling” and “Along The North Shore” Studio Z, St. Paul, MN.
- Solo Recital of Full Album “What Comes After”, Minnesota State University, Mankato.
- Along The North Shore, MoxSonic Festival, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO.
- The Glimmering Deep, After Reminiscence, Root Signals Electronic Music Festival, Statesboro, GA.
- Emergence and Telsonic, Ohio University, Oxford Ohio.
- Altair, University of Virginia Electronic Music Ensemble, Charlottesville, VA.
2017:
- Shortwave Songs, What Comes After, and Farewells, Root Signals Electronic Music Festival, Statesboro, GA.
- Along The North Shore and Savannah, 11/5, Third Practice Festival, University of Richmond Richmond, VA.
- Altair, 11/16, Wayne State Electronic Music Ensemble, Detroit, MI.
- Altair, 10/18, Wayne State Electronic Music Ensemble, Detroit, MI.
- Shortwave Songs, 9/30, Electronic Music Midwest, Kansas City Community College, Kansas City, KS.
- Savannah, 10/16, Studio Z Composer’s Night, St. Paul MN.
- Flux Beta, New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, NYC, NY.
- Before Reminiscence, Ashmolean Museum of Art, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.
- Before Reminiscence, Audiograft Festivval, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK.
- Altair, SUNY Potsdam Electronic Music Ensemble, Potsdam, NY.
- Along The North Shore, 9/23 Jacksonville University Percussion Ensemble, Jacksonville, FL.
- Set Me As A Seal, University Singers winter concert, Mankato, MN.
2016:
- Emergence, New Music Ensemble, Florence, Italy.
- Flux Beta, EM|Two, Ball State University, Muncie, IN.
- Altair and Along The North Shore, 11/17, EMIC fall concert, Mankato, MN.
- Emergence, 6/5, Art and Science Days, Bourges, France.
- Along The North Shore, 10/11, Electroacoustic Barndance, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA.
- [in] Pieces | Slivers, Drift Station Gallery Jukebox, Driftstation.org.
- Along The North Shore, 11/13, Electronic Music Midwest, Lewis University, Romeoville, IL.
- Before Reminiscence, Cicadia Consort, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL.
- Altair, EMIC Ensemble, 3/30, Minnesota State University, Mankato.
- Heliocentric, SEAMUS National Conference, Georgia Southern University,Statesboro, GA.
2015:
- Emergence, 9/25, International Computer Music Conference, North Texas State University, Denton, TX.
- Emergence, 11/29, New York University New Music Ensemble, New York University, New York, NY.
- After Reminiscence, and Altair 9/14, Root Signals Electronic Music Festival, Jacksonville, FL.
- Emergence, Society of Composers National Conference (selected, not performed), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
- Emergence, 2/20, Contemporary Music Festival, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
- Flux Beta, 11/20 EMM, Kansas City Community College, Kansas City, KS.
- Emergence, 4/28 Noisefloor Festival, Staffordshire University, Staffordshire, UK.
- [in] Pieces | Slivers, 3/25, New Music Concert, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI.
- Emergence, 3/12, Ball State Festival of New Music, Muncie, IN.
- Emergence, 5/2, New York University New Music Ensemble, New York University, New York, NY.
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