How to introduce and develop the skill of improvisation and embrace non-classical repertoire

About Miguel Atwood-Ferguson:

Miguel is a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, composer, music director, producer, DJ, and educator based in his hometown of Los Angeles, California. The depth and range of Atwood-Ferguson’s work is vast, having contributed to over 500 recordings, and countless live concerts. Miguel has many interests and performs, tours and records with ensembles from all around the world, ranging from electronica, avant-garde, jazz, classical, hip-hop, and pop to name a few.

In addition to working on various solo, duet, ensemble, and concept records, Miguel also writes and performs arrangements for a wide array of artists and bands as well as leading his groups Quartetto Fantastico, The Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble and specialized orchestral configurations. All of this was set up by a career as a session violist and budding symphonic composer that started in his days as a junior high-school student at Paul Revere Middle School when The Pacific Palisades Symphony performed his Serenade in D Major. By the age of 17, Miguel had already been the feature of segments on KCET and the Disney Channel. He would later move on to the University of Southern California, where he graduated with a degree in Viola Performance.

Miguel recently premiered the renown ‘Suite For Ma Dukes’ J. Dilla tribute at London’s Barbican Theatre and New York’s Lincoln Center, in addition to being invited by The Roots to arrange and conduct the Dallas Pop Orchestra for their ground-breaking Amazon Presents A Night of Symphonic Hip Hop event which featured Erykah Badu, Robert Glasper, Bilal, Chaka Khan and more. He is currently touring the U.S. and Europe with superstar bass guitarist, producer and singer Thundercat, as well as gearing up to release his debut studio album “Les Jardins Mystiques” in 2018 on Brainfeeder Records.