We recently connected with Michael Wall and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Michael thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

The past few years have not gone quite the way I would have liked them to go. I had many concerts and performances canceled and not rescheduled. Many of my musician colleagues became hesitant to perform in public together. My own creativity stalled as a result–my second album should have come out last year but I’m still working on it–and I really hit a creative rut. I needed something to shake the rust off of me and get me back to action.

Enter Italian composer and pianist Roberto Cacciapaglia. I’ve been a fan of his for years and would joke that, if he were ever to tour the US, I would want to be his opening act. This year, Maestro Cacciapaglia unveiled a new competition he was running, ‘The Future,’ in which he was looking for a composer who exemplified ‘the future of music.’ Musicians could enter by recording themselves performing one of his pieces, posting it social media, and tagging him. Multiple prizes would be awarded, but First Place (Primo Posto) would be the opportunity to perform as Maestro’s opening act at one of his concerts in Italy this year.

Being in a rut, being from the US, and at 42 years old–not exactly society’s idea of someone embodying The Future–I was hesitant to enter, but my ever-supportive wife and daughters encouraged me.

I reviewed all of his works to find the perfect example to perform. I listened to him and practiced incessantly. I envisioned myself performing in Italy and meeting him.

When it came time to record, I had to find a good piano. Naturally, my own piano needed major repairs. So I reached out to a friend who is a piano professor at my alma mater and he agreed to let me record in his office on his beautiful piano. I recorded myself, posted it, tagged it, and began waiting. Results were delayed. Surely as an old American, I stood no chance, but I held out hope for some sort of placing.

On Monday, May 15 I found out I won First Place. After a hard year which came after a few other hard years where I felt my music may be going nowhere, where I couldn’t finish my second album, where days went by where I didn’t touch my piano, I found out I would be taking my family to Italy in September where they will watch me open a concert for Roberto Cacciapaglia.

The performance is Tuesday, September 5 at the Roman Theatre in Fiesole. It’s a Roman Ampitheater, outdoors on a Tuesday evening in Tuscany. I’ll be performing my own compositions to open for my favorite living composer.

I have no idea what the ramifications from this performance be but I am excited to find out. I could have simply dismissed this contest. Why would he select an old American when plenty of young locals also entered? What is special about me? Apparently, he thinks plenty.

My lesson is this: The take risk. Bet on yourself. Believe that you can. Put yourself out there. You may be surprised at how others find your work. What you’ve spent years practicing, they’ve never heard. Give them an opportunity to love your work. It may change you in ways you cannot yet even imagine.

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 am a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and music educator. I grew up in a musical family–my father was a singer and trumpet player–and I started taking piano lessons and playing trumpet in the school band. I played throughout the school in bands, marching bands, ska bands (it was the 90s!), and other groups, and eventually went to college to study music education and composition and became a music teacher. Once I started teaching, I went to graduate school and eventually earned two Master’s degrees and a Doctorate of Education in Music and Music Education while teaching full-time.

Having spent over two decades performing, composing, arranging, conducting, and teaching music, my debut album, Coming Home, represents a shift in direction, tapping into my core musical experience. My music is contemporary yet draws on a range of musical influences from classical and minimalist genres. These pieces for piano and strings range from mellow and meditative to rich and multidimensional and transport listeners to a place of discovery and contemplative beauty. I also compose music for film, dance, and other performing ensembles.

I still teach full-time as I compose and perform.

When not making music, I enjoy running, hiking, and spending time by the ocean.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

When I was young, I was very idealistic. I was not very practical. I didn’t understand the business side of music and the arts, always assuming that someone would take care of that. If you’re a creative and reading this, that someone is you! Learn about business, learn about marketing, learn the other side of your art. It’s not dirty, it’s not a waste of time…the business side is how you know if you’re actually making a living making your art! It would be ideal to win the lottery or find a wealthy patron and then do your art for art’s sake, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that happening. So take a class, read some books, join some groups online…whatever it takes to learn about the business side of your art. You can search for music marketing/business classes at universities. Many put their syllabi online. Find out what they’re reading and then go get those books. You can do it.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Without sounding dramatic, I believe I was put on Earth with two missions–1. to be the best husband and father I can be and 2. to make music. I have music burning up in my head almost all the time and it needs to come out. Ideally, I want to be a sort of modern-day Leonard Bernstein. I want to write my own music concert music; I want to write for film, tv, and media; I want to write music to accompany others; I want to conduct music; etc. It’s not a vanity project or some search for a legacy. I just want to make music and I hope others find it enjoyable.

If, when I am gone, people say about me, “He was a good person and he made good music,’ I would be happy.  

Contact Info:

• Website: www.michaelwallmusic.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/michaelwallmusic
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/michaelwallmusic
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/MichaelWallMusc
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@MichaelWallMusic