Michael Palma's Resume
Michael Palma
Professional Music Major
3005 Wingren Irving, Tx 75062
Michael Palma Biography
Michael Palma is a Jazz Pianist/Producer/Composer/ Sound Designer/Student/Teacher. He was born in Irving, Texas on December 15th, 1985. Palma began classical piano lessons at the early age of 5. By the time he was 14, Michael Palma was playing with the elite of Jazz in Dallas, Texas.
Michael won several downbeat awards during his time at Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas. He has performed with acts in Dallas, Boston, Rhode Island, New York, as well as Japan. Michael has performed in a professional setting with Wynton Marsalis, Chris Potter, Adonis Rose, Jason Palmer, Hal Crook, Dave Santoro, Roy Hargrove, Paquito d' Rivera, Tootie Heath, Marchel Ivery, Barry Riese. Mr. Palma interned with Juniper Music and Soundesign during his hiatus from Berklee College of Music for a period of 6 months.
He is returning to Boston in January to seek out opportunities there once again and will be completing his degree at Berklee College of Music. Palma resides in both Boston and Dallas and is available for bookings for piano lessons, sound design projects, web design projects, and gigs for any style of music.
Educational Experience
• 2001-2004 Attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Tx.
• 2002 and 2004 selected as All-State Jazz Pianist for the state of Texas
• 2002 Performances at IAJE (International Association for Jazz Education) in Long Beach, California with High School Jazz Combo
• 2002 Received a full scholarship to take part in the first ever Dave Brubeck Institute Summer Jazz Colony in Stockton, California headed by J.B. Dyas with clinician Christian McBride
• 2002 Competes and wins 1st place in The Monterey Jazz Festival High School Competition or best Jazz Combo where the grand prize was to Perform at the Monterey Jazz Festival
• 2003 Auditions for the Monterey Jazz Festival All- Star High School Japan Band and gets accepted and tours Japan in summer of 2003
• 2003 Receives another full scholarship to take part in the 2nd annual Dave Brubeck Institute Summer Jazz Colony in Stockton, California with clinician Chris Potter
• 2004 Performances at IAJE in New York, New York with High school Jazz Combo with special guest Dick Oates
• 2005 - Present Attends Berklee College of Music as a Full-Time Student
Professional Experience
• 2001-Present Pianist in the Marchel Ivery (Former member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers) Quartet with Lyles West and Andrew Griffith performing in the greater Dallas, Tx area
• 2000 Performs with Jazz trumpet great Sal Marquez in Hollywood, California
• 2001 Performs with Paquito d' Rivera and Ron Odrich at Oklahoma University Clarinet Symposium
• 2002 Performs with Roy Hargrove at the Monterey Jazz Festival in Monterey, California
• 2002-Present Pianist for local jazz musicians in the greater Dallas area from Shelly Carroll (Tenor Saxophonist and Current Musical director of the Duke Ellington Big Band) to Pete Galeo (Tenor Saxophonist for the Woody Herman Big Band)
• 2005 Plays frequently at Wally's Jazz Cafe in Boston, MA with Igmar Thomas, Lee Fish, Jason Palmer, Godwin Louis, and James Williams among other Berklee students/alumni
• 2006 Plays Private gig in San Antonio, Texas with Heath Brother Albert "Tootie" Heath (Jazz druming legend who has played with everyone from Thelonious Monk to Herbie Hancock)
• 2006 Plays at the Dallas Museum of Art in Dallas, Texas with Tootie Heath
• 2007 Plays gig in Dallas, Texas with Wynton Marsalis, Adonis Rose, Quamon Fowler
• 2007 Becomes Pianist in Quamon Fowler's quartet with drummer Adonis Rose
• 2007 Interns at Juniper Music and Soundesign in Dallas, Tx
Awards and Honors
• 2003 Downbeat award winner for Best Original Song "Tomorrow's Pasttime" in North America
• 2003 and 2004 is pianist in BTWHSPVA Jazz Combo and is awarded best small jazz group in North America by the Downbeat Awards
• 2004 Is named best Pop/Rock Soloist in North America by the Downbeat Awards
• 2004 Receives a full scholarship from the Berklee College of Music
• 2005 Receives a cash award from Berklee College of Music for outstanding achievement in Jazz Piano at the college