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Michael Shingo Crawford

Composition and Music Theory

Michael Shingo Crawford

Michael Shingo Crawford is a Philadelphia-based composer and violinist who explores narrative and extramusical ideas through sound. His work is inspired by literature, visual art, dance, and his Japanese heritage.

Crawford holds a Master’s in Music Composition from Temple University, where he studied with Emiliano Pardo-Tristan, Jan Krzywicki, and Adam Vidiksis. In two years, he received twenty-four premieres of his works, presented by performers including the PRISM Quartet, Sound Energy Trio, and Philadelphia Orchestra Musicians. His opera scene, Maximum Capacity, was performed by ENAensemble, and his interest in collaborations has also led him to work with choreographers in projects that brought together live musicians and dancers. He has been commissioned by the internationally acclaimed Network for New Music.

Crawford is a violinist and pianist whose engagements include recitals of Baroque and Classical works presented at the historic Laurel Hill Mansion’s Concerts by Candlelight series, as well as a performance in Yerevan, Armenia as a member of the 2019 World Congress for Information Technology Orchestra. He served as concertmaster of the Emory University Symphony Orchestra and was the winner of the 2015-2016 Concerto and Aria Competition with his performance of the Barber Violin Concerto. Over the summers, he has attended Fresh Inc. Festival, Eastern Music Festival, and National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute.

During his undergraduate studies at Emory University, he studied composition with Richard Prior and John Anthony Lennon and violin with Shawn Pagliarini. His music was presented by the Vega String Quartet and Elena Cholakova. He was a recipient of the Louis B. Sudler Prize in the Arts, a prestigious award presented the student who demonstrated the highest proficiency in one or more of the performing or creative arts at Emory.