Catherine McMichael, Class of 1972 and 2017 Upper Arlington Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus
Notable achievements at UAHS
Catherine was the accompanist for the 220 voice UAHS choir for all three years of her attendance at UAHS. She was also a member of the independent 16 member singing ensemble Strollers. In addition to her musical activities, she was one of the top 20 scholars in her enormous ’72 class of 792 students.
College and career experience
Catherine has her bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance and master’s in Chamber Music and Accompanying from the University of Michigan. While there, she won the annual Concerto Competition, which led to her being a soloist with the University Philharmonia Orchestra. She has taught hundreds of students in piano, improvisation and composition, and has written hundreds of pieces on commission. She is a performer, arranger, composer and/?or co-director for several musical groups in Michigan including the River Raisin Ragtime Revue in Ann Arbor, the Bijou Theatre Orchestra of Bay City and the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra.
How did UA Schools prepare her for success?
“There was an expectation of excellence communicated by every teacher I had at UAHS. That expectation was complemented by an enthusiastic atmosphere of support for learning and effort. I felt prepared to catch everything the University of Michigan could throw at me, and I did, because of the expectation of excellence fostered by UAHS faculty and staff.”
Posted: Wednesday, August 23, 2017