Biography

Mike Marshall is one of the most accomplished and versatile string instrumentalists in the world today and a three time Grammy Nominee.

A master of mandolin, guitar, mandocello and violin, Mike is a living compendium of musical styles and has created some of the most adventurous instrumental music in America today. Mike has helped spawn the next generation of y0ung string instrumentalists through his many recording projects and to his deep commitment to music education.

Mike seamlessly blends his American roots background with a deep understanding of European classical, Jazz, Pop and Brazilian Music.

At the age 19 he joined the David Grisman Quintet to tour and record with jazz violin legend Stephane Grappelli. Mike then went on to form the Montreux Band, Psychograss and the Modern Mandolin Quartet and produced over 40 of his own recordings on the Sony Classical, Rounder, Sugar Hill, Compass, Windham Hill, and his own Adventure Music label. His musical touring partners have included Darol Anger , Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Chris Thile, Sam Bush, and the group Vasen.

In 1995, after a trip to Brazil, Mike fell in love Brazilian Choro music and went on spear-head a Renaissance for that style in the U.S. with his group Choro Famoso and his label Adventure Music. Mike also recorded Brazilian music with fellow mandolinist Hamilton de Holanda and pianist Jovino Santos Neto.

As an educator, Mike is currently the director of the American Music Seminar at the Savannah Music Festival, where each spring he hand-selects 16 young acoustic musicians from around the world to meet for a week-long intensive.

Mike also teaches online through the ArtistWorks company where for 10 years Mike has provided one-on-one video exchange education for thousands of mandolinists from around the world.

Mike is primarily touring these days with his wife, German Classical mandolinist Caterina Lichtenberg and the two created the Mandolin World Retreats together. An exquisite mandolin educational, food and wine gathering in Napa Valley, California and Sicily, Italy. Mike and Caterina have three CDs together including a recording of the Johann Sebastian Bach Two Part Inventions for Mandolin and Mandocello.

Mike has also been recording the Bach cello suites on his Mandocello. He has completed Suites I, II and III and they are available on his BandCamp page.