Dr. Michael Knopf

Michael Knopf is a composer, guitarist, and educator originally from the United States. He immigrated to Australia in 1982 where his professional life included free-lance composition, concert recitalist jazz guitarist and music educator.

His compositions range from jazz pieces and contemporary art music to sacred choral music, and include large choral and orchestral works, chamber music and over 450 works for guitar solo, duo and in chamber trios.

Knopf’s many compositions for guitar are of particular importance, composed with his own unique contemporary approaches that include 20th and 21st century compositional strategies and aesthetics, and also the use of traditional, multi-style and poly-genre forms including works inspired and/or influenced by cultural or historical music.

His compositions have been performed in Australia, Germany, the United States, Canada, Japan, China, Portugal & Switzerland.

Michael’s most recent compositions are exemplary of his interest in genre and style synthesis in new music. His creative workings often feature “contaminations” of genre signs and ideas in other musical contexts.

But the aim is not to jar or to create disassociations from any particular preconceptions, but to experiment in complimentary associations of what may often be deemed disparate elements. The goal is the enhancement of musical context, form, and resonance.

Michael’s guitar music can also be found at Bergmann Editions and at United Music Publishing. The latter publishes his Eclectic Fantasies for solo guitar, guitar duos, works for cello, chamber music and choral music.