Michael Arthurs
Michael Arthurs earned his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in composition from The University of Texas at Austin. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada he is also an alumnus of Humber College, William Paterson University, and The University of Louisville.
He has served as Assistant Professor of Saxophone at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and Lecturer at Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. Michael has also written extensively for both professional and university ensembles including a jazz orchestral arrangement of Duke Ellington’s Blue Rose, which premiered at the Echoes of Ellington conference 2009.
In 2013 Dr. Arthurs received a Certificate of Recognition for his role as Conductor of the All-Star Jazz Ensemble at the 9th Annual HBCU- NBDC Convention. He has also recently served as musical director for “Jay Douglas and the All-Stars” opening up for legendary artists Ziggy Marley and Freddie McGregor and been appointed musical director for the late Archie Alleyne’s Evolution of Jazz Ensemble.
Michael has also worked as a musician/bandleader, as well as an arranger for cabaret vocalists on several different cruise ships. As a woodwind player in the show-orchestras for cruise lines such as Princess, Crystal, Cunard, and Celebrity, he has had the opportunity and good fortune to have traveled to many far-away places such as; Israel, Turkey, Alaska, the Caribbean, Indonesia, China, Japan, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Europe, and Tahiti, to mention a few.
With over 25 years of experience as a composer/arranger, music teacher, freelance musician, and recording artist both in Toronto and Internationally, Dr. Arthurs currently resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.