michael andrew doherty about

Michael Andrew Doherty (b. 1973) is a composer, performer, instrument designer/builder and theoretician who specializes in shakuhachi, Armenian duduk and theatrical sound design.  In his musical career, spanning over 20 years, he has set out with the aim of continuing the exploration and evolution of music into new expressions leading from the late Romantic, Modern and Post-Modern masters of the 20th Century, but in patently non-academic modes.  Michael's His musicking, particularly since 2003, is an exploration into the convergence of silence and sound, considering silence/space as an essential musical element (jp. ma 間).

Michael's compositions are indicative of an ear sensitive to acoustic ecology and infused with acoustemological sensibilities, both in terms of sound's inherent sublime character to inform experiential truth, and, approaching a neo-post-modern minimalism (true minimalism) characterized by simplicity and conservative use of material.

In 2008 Michael came to the Japanese bamboo flute, shakuhachi, and began to study under Dai Shihan Michael "Chikuzen" Gould.  As a performer, shakuhachi has become the focal point of his music endeavors, though other instruments/sounds remain on his musicking pallet: duduk (Armenian), hichiriki (篳篥), piano, organ, electronic synthesizers, laptop / phonography, assorted house-hold and specially designed items; instruments of his own construction and design. 

Michael has been designing and crafting/building both percussive and woodwind instruments, both for his use and for sale, for a number of years.  Bamboo folk woodwinds hold a unique place for him, the hichiriki, and shakuhachi at the fore of this list. 

He received the 2005 award of "Best Avant-Garde Composer” by Denver's alternative newspaper Westword, and the “2005 Spotlight Award” for his sound design with Paragon Theatre Company.  His work has been compared to both John Cage and Alvin Lucier by other press agencies.  Michael has also worked in sound design and soundtrack composition, installation, live performance, and engineering, for both theater and motion picture works for Paragon Theatre Company, Tir Na nOg Theatre Company, and Double Edge Films. 

In addition to his soundtrack, solo, and compositional works, his musical contributions include:

* Sound Dialogue with Bret Ellerton, Grey Sky, Wet Sky, (duduk, ney, phonography, synthesis, tile bells, and others), to be released soon on CD Baby.

* Orphans, Real and Imagined (an emerging project with bad Luck City's Dameon Merkl)

* The Paradox Project, with Bret Ellerton (duduk and ney),

* Six Months to Live (duduk),

* [Various Improvisational Incidents with Toby Sinkinson] (duduks, ney, laptop, and others),

* Bad Luck City (2002-2005) (piano and organ), 

* Window Standpoint Series (phonography)