Michael J. Evans is an American composer based in Washington DC. He has recorded with pianist Karolin Rojahn, Sirius String Quartet, Janaček Philharmonic, Moravian Philharmonic, St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra, and Kiev Philharmonic. Most recently, “Reunion”, his latest work celebrating the end of the COVID lockdown, received its world premier on May 21, 2022 by the Portland Youth Philharmonic.

His 2015 release of “Misery”, an anti-concerto for bassoon, based on the Anton Chekhov story of the same name, featured the winner of the 66th Prague Spring International Music Competition: Jan Hudeček, as soloist, along with the Moravian Philharmonic. “Into the Woods” received its Carnegie Hall premier on April 15, 2018, and subsequently in a concert of the Subotičkoj Filharmoniji, the oldest orchestra in Serbia. His latest album, THE ADVENTURES OF FLORIAN, an orchestral fairytale featuring a transgender hero and a gay prince, was recorded in January 2020 with the Janaček Philharmonic and features stunning illustrations by visual artist Appoline Etienne. The first act of A Fine Agitation, an opera based on the voting rights trial of Susan B. Anthony, was recorded by the Janaček Philharmonic in November 2022. 

Evans began his musical studies at age 10, with piano and saxophone, and attended Kent State University, where he studied piano and composition. In 1986 he moved to Washington DC. 

Living in DC has had a profound influence on his music. Many of his works explore, or are inspired by LGBTQ, environmental, and social justice issues. His recent projects are focused on multimedia: combining music, literature, and video. 

You will find Evans in the kitchen when he is not composing. An admitted cooking show addict, he is always discovering new techniques, and experimenting with (hopefully) delicious creations. 

News

December 18, 2020

Composer Conversations: Michael J. Evans

February 20, 2020

Studio Journal: Composer Michael J. Evans on recording in the Czech Republic

October 27, 2022

Michael J. Evans: Reunion

Albums

A Fine Agitation

Release Date: June 9, 2023
Catalog Number: NV6524
21st Century
Opera
Stage Works
Orchestra
Voice
Strong convictions make for strong emotion, and in Michael J. Evans' case, emotion transforms into operatic scenes. A FINE AGITATION is an eight-part stage work based on Susan B. Anthony's letters during her infamous voting trial, which sheds light on the beloved social reformer from a personal, intimate, and profoundly charming angle. Both biographies and political subjects are notoriously difficult to set to music without becoming either dry tragedies or kitschy pastiches, but Evans circumvents this pitfall with a compositional style that is subtly, tastefully shaded, and at times almost light-footed. It shows Anthony, an American social justice icon, from a perspective that might have been disregarded for the better part of a century – the perspective of being human.

The Adventures of Florian

Release Date: October 9, 2020
Catalog Number: NV6301
21st Century
Orchestral
Stage Works
Orchestra
On his seventh release on Navona Records, THE ADVENTURES OF FLORIAN, Michael J. Evans presents an epic, modern adaptation of Henry Beston’s fairytale of the same name. Over the course of four orchestral acts, Evans reframes the story as a tale of trans heroship, with Prince Florizel marrying Florian himself presenting as a boy, rather than revealing Florian as Isabella.

String Quartet No. 1 The Music of Erich Zann

Release Date: February 10, 2017
Catalog Number: NV6083
21st Century
Chamber
String Quartet
Composer Michael J. Evans’ THE MUSIC OF ERICH ZANN is a startling and surreal musical interpretation of H.P. Lovecraft’s 1922 tale of the eponymous violist – a mysterious old man who seemingly protects himself from dark, magical forces by playing the viol. Evans is a gifted melodist, and his other PARMA Recordings and Navona albums showcase his predilections for the rich textures and harmonic language of late European Romanticism.

Misery

Release Date: February 12, 2016
Catalog Number: NV6029
Fusing together the areas of visual art, music, literature, and history, composer Michael J. Evans presents his multimedia project, MISERY, on Navona Records. Taking inspiration, text, and imagery from Russian author Anton Chekhov’s (1860-1904) tale of the same name, the composer’s work can serve multiple functions: an anti-concerto for bassoon, the soundtrack for an illustrated graphic novel or silent film, the music for a stage work (dance, pantomime, shadow, or puppet theater), or any combination of the aforementioned.

PARMA Music Festival Live 2014

Release Date: June 9, 2015
Catalog Number: NV6002
21st Century
Chamber
Orchestral
Cello
Orchestra
14 concerts, 12 venues, 4 days. The 2014 PARMA Music Festival featured a diverse range of events, from concert performances of orchestra, chamber ensembles, solo instruments, and jazz groups, to an outdoor presentation of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf and panel discussions about music licensing and multimedia composition, as well as improvised collaborations between indie rockers and classical instrumentalists.

Cipher

Release Date: July 1, 2014
Catalog Number: NV5962
21st Century
Solo Instrumental
Piano
Oftentimes in our technology-driven global society, words can become obscured in meanings and associations depending on how they are interpreted or translated. On the other hand, music in its abstraction often can prompt more concrete interpretations. Composer Michael J. Evans explores the relationships between words, music, and meaning on his latest release on Navona Records, CIPHER.

The PARMA Sessions: Karolina Rojahn

Release Date: August 1, 2013
Catalog Number: NV5925
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Orchestra
Piano
Piano Trio
THE PARMA SESSIONS: KAROLINA ROJAHN presents a series of recordings featuring longtime PARMA collaborator and pianist Karolina Rojahn. Showcasing the artist's skill, adaptability, and dedication, this digital compilation features Rojahn performing works by a diverse set of composers with myriad influences and styles.

Dances Of Eternity

Release Date: April 1, 2013
Catalog Number: NV5907
21st Century
Orchestral
Large Ensemble
Orchestra
DANCES OF ETERNITY presents a group of orchestral works by composers who explore music's potential to capture the more overlooked aspects of human experience. Ranging from representations of optimism and energy to the surging power of nostalgia, to lighthearted frolics and the eternality of life, DANCES OF ETERNITY asks the listener to ponder life, death, and everything in between.

Fine Music, Vol. 2

Release Date: May 1, 2011
Catalog Number: NV5851
Orchestral
Solo Instrumental
Cello
Piano Trio
String Orchestra
FINE MUSIC, VOL. II is the second compilation of the Navona Records Fine Music digital series. This installment features the works of Marinescu, Barber, Evans, Elizondo, Zaimont, Nagorcka, Hofmeyr, Wilenski, Stölzel, Bakker and Sackman. This collection both highlights some of Navona's choicest tracks and offers a preview of things to come.

Eidola

Release Date: March 1, 2011
Catalog Number: NV5843
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
EIDOLA is the latest Navona release from Washington, DC-based composer Michael J. Evans featuring four of his orchestral works. This release showcases Evans' wide range of compositional abilities; we hear calypso in the Concerto, woodwind night music in Nocturne with Sunrise, ballet and folk tunes in Dance and a musical interpretation of Poe's poetry in The Haunted Palace.

Bloom

Release Date: June 1, 2009
Catalog Number: NV5813
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Flute
Piano
Piano Trio