Michael Turkell

Get to know Michael Turkell

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

First year with Sarasota Orchestra: 2022

Instrument: Michael plays on a violin made by Enrico Marchetti in Cuorgnè in 1895, which he acquired in 2016.

Education: BM - San Francisco Conservatory of Music; MM - Cleveland Institute of Music; MM - Cleveland Institute of Music

Career Highlights: At the New World Symphony: Being concertmaster for Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade with Marin Alsop on the podium in December 2021; being concertmaster for Michael Tilson Thomas' final concert as Artistic Director of NWS, performing Mahler's Fifth Symphony; going on tour with NWS to perform two different concerts at Carnegie Hall, Michael's first time at the legendary venue.

Chamber music: Performing string sextets with some of his closest friends in Chicago and Miami Beach in 2021; performing piano quintets on Holland America Line cruise ships from 2017-2019, including recording Brahms' Piano Quintet in Juneau, AK, in August of 2018; performing Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Cello with a dear friend, Victor Minke Huls; performing sonatas with another dear friend, Maria Parrini.

Michael adds, "Performing Mahler 1 at the Berlin Philharmonie with the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra in 2012 was a hugely inspiring moment for me and everyone else in the group."

Passions and Interests: Michael tells us: "I'm passionate about biking, and I can't wait to bike the entire Legacy Trail. I also love going hiking, and I one day hope to hike the cables on Half Dome in Yosemite NPS I also hope to one day visit every single park in the US National Park System.

"I'm also a huge pizza fan—I once spent 18 days in New York City, and every single day I was there, I tried a new pizza place...some days, I had pizza for lunch and dinner (mercifully, never breakfast).

"Since the summer of 2020, I've been very involved with committees, projects, and causes geared toward making our art form more accessible, equitable, inclusive, and reflective of our ever-changing society, and I'm looking forward to continuing that work here in any way that I can help."