Solo Tour - Inspiration

Hey Friends,

Popping in to share some exciting news with you:

All posters by Chien-An Yuan

Next month: Just me, the piano, and YOU. I hope to see you if you’re in one of these cities. Preorders for tickets are now live. If you’re in one of these cities I hope to see you.

DETROIT
Wednesday March 5
Doors 7:00pm/Music 7:30pm
Fort Street Presbyterian Church
Detroit, MI

WEST MICHIGAN
Sunday March 2
Doors 1:00pm/Music 2:00pm
Saugatuck Center for the Arts

CHICAGO
Saturday March 1
Music 7:00pm
Horatio N. May Chapel at Rosehill Cemetery
With Twilight Choir (Erez Dessel)

For me, solo piano has always represented both the minimum requirement and the highest bar. Meaning: when someone asks you what you do and your answer is “I’m a pianist,” you need to be able to sit down and play the piano. Plain and simple. But also, it is the hardest, rawest, riskiest thing I will ever do as a musician. So it’s somehow the price of admission and the whole show. It’s a fascinating and maddening format, and I’ve been gearing up to enter it’s swarming tempest. I hope you join me for it.

For those of you who aren’t in any of these areas or can’t make these shows,

here’s a list of quick-hitters of what I’ve been up to:

  • MAKING: I just finished tracking on a new album (!), produced by Chris Koltay at High Bias in Detroit. This record embeds the piano into rich textures of electronics, samples, and drum machines. We’ll begin mixing soon, and I’m hoping to have it out by the end of 2025 or early 2026.

  • READING: I’ve been enthralled with this book. Has anyone read this? If you have, let’s talk about it.

  • LISTENING: This has been sort of my path-setter for the solo concerts I have coming up.

That’s all for now. Peace and blessings to you all in these chaotic times. I’m visioning a better way forward than whatever we’re doing now, and I’m sure you are too. I hope you’ll share that vision with me someday.

Best wishes, and thanks as always for your support,

-Michael

Cavafy at Kerrytown, Solo Piano Tour, Beyond

Hi friends,

I hope this email reaches you in a place of winter restfulness. I’ve had a day or two to recuperate after a busy holiday season, and after an even busier first semester of my D.M.A. at Michigan. I’m recharging, and excited to get back to work in 2025.

I have some exciting events coming up, both locally in Detroit and beyond.

The Kombos Collective Presents "Out of Time, Out of Place”

Michael Malis, Constantine Novotny, and Ellie Falaris Ganelin

Sunday, January 26, 2025
4:00 pm
Kerrytown Concert House
Ann Arbor, MI

The Kombos Collective presents Out of Time, Out of Place, a look at displacement and self-discovery through the eyes of artists in the diaspora. Hellenic-American artists Michael Malis (piano), Constantine Novotny (baritone) and Ellie Falaris Ganelin (flute) explore these concepts through the convergence of music and poetry. The cornerstone of the program is Malis’s original song cycle: Another Shore, Another Country, set to the poetry of C.P. Cavafy, commissioned by ProMusica Detroit and premiered in February 2024. Cavafy, who lived most of his life in Alexandria, Egypt, is the quintessential voice of the Greek diaspora and a prominent figure among 20th-century poets.

Through Ganelin’s and Malis’s own arrangements, the trio performs songs of love and longing by Greek idols Mikis Theodorakis and Manos Hadjiadikis. These masterful colleagues born the same year (1925) each brought a new vision and prominence to Hellenic music through the radio in their homeland and in film worldwide.

This concert is presented in part with the generous support of Artist Sponsors, The Modern Greek Program at the University of Michigan

Solo Piano Tour

I’m hitting the road for a short solo piano recital tour this winter. If you’re in any of these cities, I’d love to see you. More details to come.

Friday February 28, Grand Rapids MI
4:00pm
Calvin University
Masterclass and performance for Calvin University Jazz Piano studio

Saturday March 1, Chicago IL
7:00pm
Rosehill Cemetery
with Josh Harlow

Sunday March 2, Saugatuck MI
2:00pm
Saugatuck Center for the Arts
Hemphy Solo Piano Concert Series
Preorder Tickets Here

Wednesday March 5, Detroit MI
7:30pm
Historic Fort Street Presbyterian Church
Preorder Tickets Here

Photo credit: Costa Kazaleh Sirdenis

Motor City Wine Residency Continues

My band Hear No Evil’s residency at Motor City Wine will continue into 2025. This music has been developing into an incredibly vital space and I’m very excited with the direction this group is heading. Come join us on any of these upcoming dates:

Friday January 17
Friday March 21
Friday May 16
Friday June 20

all shows at 8:00pm, all shows cost a measly $5. Motor City Wine is at 1949 Michigan Ave, Detroit, MI 48216.

Note that I won’t be there in February or April.

That’s all for now. Stay safe, stay healthy, and thanks again for all of your support. I hope to see you out there somewhere in 2025.

Best wishes,

Michael

End of Summer Activities

Hi friends,

Just popping in to share some end-of-summer performances with you, as well as a really nice profile that came out recently:

The next installment of my monthly, Hear No Evil.

Friday August 16
8:00pm
Motor City Wine
1949 Michigan Ave., Detroit.
$5 at the door.

Brand new music for solo piano and electronics. Been working toward this direction this summer, and I’m excited to finally share some things. Featuring Maritza Garibay/Kaleigh WIlder’s new duo project.

Saturday August 17
Doors 8:00pm
Moondog Cafe
8045 Linwood St #2, Detroit, MI 48206
$15 at the door suggested donation

For the Washtenaw County crowd: similar music to the Moondog set, but of course it will be completely different too. Featuring Jane Marie Rogers.

Wednesday August 21
Doors 6:00pm
$10 suggested
Ziggy’s
206 W Michigan Ave, Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Finally got my hands on the Spring issue of Maggot Brain — issue 16 for anyone keeping track at home. Grateful and elated to see Ana Gavrilovska’s portrait of Balance: “deceptively capacious and downright transcendental.” 

Find yourself this print-only publication wherever fine records, books, and media are sold, or at Third Man Records’ website.

Catch Balance at New Music Detroit’s annual Strange Beautiful Music Festival, Saturday September 7. With a stacked lineup, featuring My Brightest Diamond, New Music Detroit, Ahya Simone, Onyx Ashanti, Hub New Music, and Dominant Hand. Get your tickets here.

This quartet of shows — all 4 are very dear to my heart, all 4 are in venues that I care deeply about, all 4 are with people who are very special to me. If you’re in my locale, it would mean the world to see you at any or all of these. What a blessing it is to be able to make music with these people in these times. I don’t take it for granted.

I might be a little quieter on this channel for a little bit while I get this whole grad school thing under control. But there are big things in the works, including two albums in various stages of production. I’m moving as fast as I can, I promise.

I’ll be in touch with important updates. Love to you all, and abundant gratitude for all that you are.

Michael

New Video Out Now, and Some Personal News

Hey Friends,

Last year, I was commissioned by Edgefest (Kerrytown Concert House) to compose a major new work for large ensemble. The result was In Search of Softer Selves, which premiered October 2023 in Ann Arbor MI. I’m so grateful to finally share this work with you! Take a look below:

This piece features an all star lineup of some of Detroit (and the world’s) greatest musicians:

Wendell Harrison - clarinet and tenor saxophone
Marcus Elliot - soprano and tenor saxophone
Kaleigh Wilder - baritone saxophone
Allen Dennard - trumpet
Vincent Chandler - trombone
Zekkereya El-magharbel - trombone
Marion Hayden - bass
Ben Willis - bass
Jonathan Barahal Taylor - drums
Michael Malis - piano

With additional funding from the Foundation for Contemporary Art
Video directed by Matthew Lima
Audio by Dave Thiefels Audio

If you like this piece and would like to support what I do, consider making a donation to the Middle East Children’s Alliance. They are working in Gaza to provide emergency assistance to families who have fled their homes to seek shelter with relatives, and procuring emergency medical supplies for hospitals and clinics.

Some Personal News

I’m going back to school! This fall, I’m returning to the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theater, and Dance, where I’ll be pursuing a doctorate (DMA). I’m very excited for this opportunity, and I can’t wait to share whatever new work comes out of this chapter with you all.

That’s all for now. I hope you’re well, wherever you are.

Peace,
Michael

Preorder New Balance Record, And Two Release Shows

Friends,

Today’s a special day. I’m grateful to share with you some new music from Balance, my collaborative duo with Marcus Elliot:

Balance: Live at the Congregation

Artwork by Leander Hope Lemon

The full album goes live in one week, on Friday April 5. We’re releasing one track and opening preorder today. For now, this is a digital-only release.

This album documents a magical set last December at The Congregation, when we played with YIMES. Every once in a while, the vibes are just right and you put together a set that you’re really proud of. That’s what this one is. It’s a notably different sound than both of our previous releases — whereas we’ve mostly worked acoustically in the past, this record finds us navigating electronics alongside our instruments. I hope you’ll come along for the journey with us.

We’re celebrating with two shows next weekend

On Friday April 5, we’re playing a very rare trio set with one of our heroes: drummer and master musician Gerald Cleaver! If you’re in Northern Michigan, catch us at the Alluvion. Tickets are on sale now and going fast.

Then on Saturday April 6, we’re coming back to Detroit to play a duo set at what’s soon going to be our favorite hometown venue: the still-in-the-process-of-opening Moondog Cafe. This is one of the first shows at this incredible space. Opening set by King Sophia. No preorder for this show — door sales only.

That’s all for now. Thanks for affording me the privilege of sharing this work with you. It means a lot. Hope to see you out there.

Till soon,

-Michael

Marcus and I, performing the set we’re releasing. Photo by John Mark Hanson.