About this Artist
Michael Basak is a percussionist and educator and currently serves as the Orchestra Manager for the USC Thornton School of Music, where he oversees all aspects of multiple orchestras under Music Director Carl St.Clair. He has performed with many orchestras nationwide, including the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Long Beach Symphony, Fresno Philharmonic, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and can be seen on stage in venues from Symphony Hall in Boston to Walt Disney Concert Hall. His performing career spans many genres—he has been a showcase performer in Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, and Middle Eastern music at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention; has performed alongside jazz legends Richard Davis and Bob Mintzer; and is a regular performer in new-music events such as the LA Phil’s Noon to Midnight festival.
A passionate educator and lifelong student, Basak has studied with members of the orchestras of Boston, New York, Chicago, Seattle, Berlin, and La Scala Opera House, as well as the LA Phil’s Joseph Pereira and Jim Babor. His unique approach to teaching combines his music education with the short- and long-term training methodologies he learned as a competitive swimmer and coach: a former United States Masters Swimming Top Ten swimmer, Basak coached at the club and masters levels alongside coaches of the U.S. and Canadian Olympic Teams. His combination of musical and athletic philosophies has propelled his students to the New England Conservatory, USC Thornton School of Music, the Interlochen Arts Academy, and many more.
Since 2019 Basak has been the Orchestra Manager of the USC Thornton School of Music, working closely with St.Clair and conductors such as Hans Graf, Tito Muñoz, Murry Sidlin, H. Robert Reynolds, and Jason K. Fettig, former director of the U.S. Marine Band. Managing the needs of the 200+ students, faculty, and staff involved has resulted in extensive knowledge of the character and complexity of each part that makes up the organism we call an orchestra.
A true renaissance man, Basak is a university recognized expert in carnivorous plants and grows a nursery of hundreds of plants from around the world. He is an Eagle Scout, and in college he helped set an unofficial record for the world’s largest snowball fight (Associated Press, 2009). He currently lives in Los Angeles with his cat, Gustav (Mahler).