We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michelle Margiotta a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Michelle, appreciate you joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
I realized that I had a natural gifting to play guitar and piano at a young age. My grandmother was a professional singer and I admired her talent. Although she was offered a record company contract from RCA VICTOR, she decided to turn the offer down in order to be a full-time mother. I respected her choice and sacrifice. She and I always talked about music and we both had so much in common. Our love for beautiful melodies and the orchestra was a common discussion for us. Recognizing my hunger to learn as much about music as I could, I left my Italian family in New York to attend a Christian university in Cleveland, TN, Lee University. It was there my musical world opened up and my teachers instilled so much in me. They challenged me to practice and learn with excellence, but also, to have an excellent character. It’s not so much what we do, but who we become. For years I looked up to people older and wiser to glean the “how to” in life. I believe that when we pay attention to these things, then what we “do” is more affective. I continued my education in composition and attained both a masters and D.M.A in Music Composition at Five Towns College in Long Island, NY. My desire was to write music but also to teach in the universities so that I could challenge and inspire students, just like my teachers did for me. When I was finishing up my doctorate, I was offered a position to play piano and guitar professionally with national singing artist, Kathy Troccoli. I was on the road full-time for ten years and finished my D.M.A. During that time, I grew as a musician and began to write for the orchestra. Kathy Troccoli was a huge inspiration in her artistry and musicianship. She and I began to write songs and projects together, becoming a dynamic duo. Our love for melodies spurred us on to write an orchestra project together. Kathy reached out to Emmy & Tony Award-winning singer/songwriter and producer Kathie Lee Gifford for inspiration with this project. It was then Kathie Lee heard my orchestrations and asked me to orchestrate and arrange for her film, “The Way”. I continue to free-lance as an orchestrator and writer in Nashville, TN. I also teach at Belmont and Lipscomb University. It has been such a gift from God to be able to do what I love. My hope is that I continue to inspire and bless people through my music.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I have been teaching music for the past 15 years in the university while simultaneously playing as a full-time musician on the road for national artist, Kathy Troccoli. I started excelling in the music industry when I met Kathy Troccoli and then crossed paths with different artists and song-writers such as Laura Story, Point of Grace, Cindy Morgan, Sarah Hart and more. Kathy Troccoli connected me with Kathie Lee Gifford about 3 years ago. It was then Kathie Lee hired me to orchestrate for her new film, “The Way”.
For the last 6 -7 years I have had a passion to orchestrate and arrange. Cinematic pop has been a newly developed genre that I have grown to love writing for…I love film music and the classic pop tunes. The combination of beautiful melodies, pop, jazz and the orchestra is something I love to write. Writing for both Kathy Troccoli and Kathie Lee Gifford has worked this writing music with “The Overture,” “The God of the Other Side,” “The Finale (Shalom Reprise),” “The God of the How and When,” as long as more jazz and cinematic tunes like, “My Savior Singing,” and “Your Smile”.
Recently I wrote a string arrangement for Kathy Troccoli’s, “Finally Free” in honor of suicide prevention month.
I think what sets me a part from others is the versatile of my writing styles to go from jazz to cinematic pop to film music. The Christian music industry is not doing the genre of cinematic pop and I feel this is becoming my branding and what sets me apart.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal has always been to be the best I can be and not necessarily better than someone else. I believe God created each of us in a unique way…just like a finger print. The beauty in this is that we all stand out different and are called to shine in this…
Another goal that goes even further than being the best I can be is to continue in this journey of seeking God my creator. I believe that the closer I get to understanding who God is, the more I can operate in how He made me and what I am created to do.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me, the most rewarding thing is to see how my music has inspired people and brought them joy and comfort. I’ve had people email me that they had a parent or loved-one in hospice and played my music for them. It brought them comfort. I’ve also enjoyed the journey of co-writing with other artists and collaborating. Just like an orchestra has to be in sync in order to be effective, there’s something about working together in the writing process. I’m bringing my background and creative perspective to the table while the other is bringing theirs…It’s such a beautiful experience to be a part of .
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michellemargiotta.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellemargiotta/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drmooshmusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-margiotta-7528baa3?trk=people-guest_people_search-card
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/drmooshmusic?lang=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MichelleMargiotta
Image Credits
Image credits for the orchestra pictures at Ocean Way Recording Studio: Aaron Greene Image credits for headshots of piano and guitar picture: Taryn Martin