Michael Malis

BIOGRAPHY

Michael Malis is a composer, pianist, and music educator based in Detroit, MI. Noted for his “jaw-dropping display of improvisational power” (All About Jazz), Malis is a recipient of Greek America Foundation’s 40 under 40 award. He has taught at the University of Michigan and Interlochen Arts Academy, and is now a Doctoral Candidate at the University of  Michigan. 

As a recording artist, he has released 13 albums. His music has been described as “downright transcendental” (Maggot Brain Magazine) and “uncommonly mature” (Detroit Free Press). He was noted as “among the most compelling Detroit jazz musicians of his generation” (Jazz From Detroit, University of Michigan Press). His compositions have been performed across the United States, including at Harvard University, the University of Maryland, The Owl (Brooklyn), and Orchestral Hall (Detroit).

As a pianist, Malis has shared the stage with a diverse array of musicians, including Marcus Belgrave, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Robert Hurst, Gerald Cleaver, Jaribu Shahid, John Lindberg, William Hooker, A. Spencer Barefield, Tyshawn Sorey, Brandee Younger, J.D. Allen, and Marion   Hayden. He has performed at the Yokohama Jazz Promenade (Yokohama, Japan), the Kennedy Center, Birdland (NYC), and The Stone (NYC).

He is the founder of Other Tones, a concert series providing performance opportunities for local and national composer-performers. To date, Other Tones has presented 22 artists from 7 cities to Detroit audiences. All proceeds from concerts go to presenting artists. The series centers artists from underrepresented groups, presenting a majority of queer, BIPOC, and women or femme-identifying artists.