About

Dr. Michelle Colton is a versatile percussionist who has performed throughout North America, Asia, Europe, and Central America. She has performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company, Soundstreams, and is the co-founder of Oregano Percussion as well as her singer-songwriter duo, MacAulay Colton. She has also performed with NEXUS, Keiko Abe, Michael Burritt, and Dame Evelyn Glennie. Her debut solo album, Unpredictable Nature features three of her original compositions. She can also be heard on the JUNO Award-winning album, Detach. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of Toronto and her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Iowa. She has directed the University of Toronto Steel Pan Ensemble, Royal Conservatory Steel Pan Ensemble, and currently instructs steel pan and band in the Toronto District School Board. She is also the director and founder of the University of Toronto Percussion Preparatory Department. She has been guest faculty with the Birch Creek Percussion and Steel Pan Academy, Prairie Music Residency, and the Iowa Ambassadors of Music European tours. Dr. Colton serves as the Chapter President of the Ontario Percussive Arts Society. She has presented her research about movement and gesture in marimba performance at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. She is an artist/endorser of Adams/Pearl Musical Instruments and Dream Cymbals and Gongs.

Michelle Colton is a brilliant, conscientious, and versatile performer. A dedicated practitioner of contemporary music, she is able to articulate the composer's vision with integrity and grace while allowing her own rich, nuanced sensibilities to guide her interpretation. She is a spirited collaborator with a rare passion for exploring the unknown. I would compose for her again in a heartbeat

-Kevin Lau (Composer)

Michelle Colton

Percussionist, Educator, Composer, Clinician, Adjudicator