Pianist Michael Maronich has been praised for his “intelligent readings” and “interpretive sensitivity” (Rorianne Schrade, New York Concert Review), as well as his “power and uncanny lyricism” (Kitty Montgomery, Kingston Daily Freeman).

A Connecticut native, Michael began his piano studies at age seven and, in 2001, became the youngest first-prize winner in the history of the prestigious Renée B. Fisher Competition. Amongst his other achievements, Michael has been a top prizewinner at the Great Neck Young Artists Competition and the Carlson Horn Competition. In 2004, Michael won the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College Concerto Competition and performed Liszt’s First Piano Concerto with the Manhattan School of Music Philharmonic Orchestra. As the winner of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra competition, Michael also performed the Liszt Concerto with the Hartford Symphony. In 2005, Michael won second prize in the Jacob Flier International Competition, where he was praised by such artists as Vladimir Feltsman and Alexander Slobodyanik.

Michael has participated in the PianoSummer International Festival-Institute at SUNY New Paltz and the International Academy of Music in St. Petersburg, Russia and in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Italy, as well as the Beijing International Music Festival and Academy, and the Prague International Piano Masterclasses, where he has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician. He has participated in masterclasses with Nina Serogina, Daniel Pollack, Jean-Bernard Pommier, and Garrick Ohlsson.

Michael earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Rutgers University, studying with John Perry and Daniel Epstein. He completed his Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees at the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Phillip Kawin.