Michael Barranco

Michael Barranco is a New York-based musician. He currently resides in Fairfax, Virginia as a D.M.A. candidate in Percussion Performance at George Mason University. Michael’s prior schooling includes a Master’s degree in Music Performance from Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois and a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. He is an active performer, educator, and instrument repair artisan, specializing in percussion instruments.

At George Mason, Michael holds the titles of Graduate Lecturer, Graduate Teaching Assistant, and Graduate Peer Advisor, teaching world music courses and assisting graduate students with their imperative needs. In addition to instructing world music, he has led courses in percussion methods, percussion instruction, and percussion ensembles at the collegiate level. Most notably, Michael led the percussion department at the University of Illinois Springfield for their (phone number hidden)8 school year.

Michael's current research focuses on the timbre qualities of acoustic percussion instruments. He is co-authoring an entry in a brand new volume on orchestration, focusing on the limitless timbral possibilities of the tambourine, set to release in 2021. He is also an active member of the College Music Society, Percussive Arts Society, and the National Association for Music Education, in which he was elected President of Saint Rose’s chapter from (phone number hidden)4.

As a performer, he has joined numerous ensembles including the American Festival Pops Orchestra, Capital City Symphony, Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia, Peoria Symphony Orchestra, and Saint Rose Camerata. Michael has also performed with brass bands, choirs, wind ensembles, and is an active performer in musical theatre pits. His current percussion studies are led by John Spirtas of the Washington National Opera, with prior instruction conducted by John Kilkenny, Jon Bisesi, David Collier, Ben Stiers, Mark Foster, and Cliff Brucker.

Michael’s instrument repair experience began in 2015 at John Keal Music in Albany, New York. He continued for the next four years at Carl’s Pro Band in Bloomington, Illinois, learning brass, woodwind, and percussion repair from the Thacker family. Currently, Michael is involved in freelance percussion repair in Virginia, D.C., and Maryland areas, assisting members of the United States Naval Academy and Washington National Opera.

Michael is endorsed by Artifact Percussion.