Michael Close is a composer, cellist, and music educator living in Worcester, VT. He has been a composer-mentor with Music-Comp since 2004. Michael is the music teacher at Doty Memorial School in his hometown of Worcester and also at nearby Rumney Memorial School. As a cellist, Michael has performed with a variety of chamber music groups including the Eleva chamber orchestra, Arioso, Yellow Sky, and the Living Woods baroque ensemble. He is a prolific composer and has had works performed by the Montpelier Chamber Orchestra (VT), The Birmingham Bloomfield Symphony (MI), The Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble, The Playground Ensemble (CO), Chamber Music at the Scarab Club of Detroit, The Eleva Chamber Players (VT), the Vermont Choral Union, and Arioso (VT). He graduated from Bennington College in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in music composition and a master of arts in education.