Having performed on four continents and forty states, Michael Burritt is one of the world's leading percussion soloists. He is in frequent demand, performing concert tours and master classes throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Canada. Mr. Burritt has been soloist with the Dallas Wind Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Ju Percussion Group (Taiwan), Percussion Art Quartet (Germany), Amores Percussion Group (Spain), and Peaux (Sweden). Mr. Burritt has numerous solo recordings comprised of original compositions as well as works written expressly for him. He has been a featured artist at nine Percussive Arts Society International Conventions. He presented his New York solo debut in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall in 1992 and performed his London debut in the Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1998. Mr. Burritt has extensive chamber and orchestral experience and has performed with the Chicago Chamber Musicians, the Chicago Symphony, the Rembrandt Players, and the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra.
Mr. Burritt is also active as a composer, with three concertos to his credit, numerous solo and chamber works for marimba and percussion, as well as two books of etudes. His works for solo marimba have become standard repertoire for the instrument and are frequently required repertoire on international competitions. He has been commissioned by The World Marimba Competition in Stuttgart, Germany, The Paris International Marimba Competition, and the Nexus Percussion Ensemble. Mr. Burritt is published with Keyboard Percussion Publications, Innovative Percussion, C. Alan, and Ludwig Music. He is also an artist/clinician and product design consultant for Malletech, where he has recently developed a signature marimba designed in collaboration with Leigh Stevens, as well as his line of mallets. He is an artist/educational clinician with the Zildjian Company and Evans Drum Heads. Mr. Burritt served as a member of the Percussive Arts Society Board of Directors from 1996-2008, a contributing editor for Percussive Notes Magazine, and the chairman of the PAS Keyboard Committee from 2004-2010.
Mr. Burritt is currently Professor of Percussion and head of the department at The Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, only the third person in the history of the school to hold this position. Prior to his appointment at Eastman, he was Professor of Percussion at Northwestern University from 1995-2008, where he developed a program of international distinction. He received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees, as well as the prestigious Performers Certificate, from Eastman. His teachers have included John Beck, Gordon Stout, Paul Yancich, and Herbert Flower.
