Composer and guitarist Michael Knopf has received consecutive awards at the Varia International Guitar Festival in 2024 and last December, when he won first prize.
Both compositions for guitar duo, are being video recorded by highly professional musicians.
The first piece, “Clouds and Mountains” has just been released on an acclaimed, prominent guitar performance You Tube channel.
Michael Knopf has lived on the mountain for 11 years producing a large body of music including orchestral, choral and new music for his lifelong instrument of choice, the guitar.
Michael has given performances on the Mountain several times including at St George’s Church, the Manor and most recently at the Music Nights at the Zamia where he was enthusiastically well received.
Throughout his career, Michael has found inspiration for new music in nature, so his time here has seen music inspired by the national parks around Tamborine Mountain.
The orchestral piece “Tchambreen” was conceived whilst walking in Palm Grove and The Knoll and was subsequently premiered by the Queensland Youth Symphony at QPAC in May 2017.
His early years also saw Michael commence, on Boxing Day 2016, what became a five year project.
“Once Around the Sun” was the result with a new work for guitar for each day of the year.
This magnum opus includes a wide range of character pieces for both study and the concert platform.
Completed in February of 2022 the collection of 365 guitar pieces has been praised and endorsed by prominent players in Europe and the USA and is now making its way onto the music stands of payers, teachers and students.
The music for two guitars “Clouds and Mountains” (2024) was video recorded in early May at the famed Sicca’s Guitar studio in Germany by two outstanding guitarists, Dimitris Kourzakis and Angelos Botsis who make up the D & A Guitar Duo.
In recent years Michael has also joined publishers in Denmark, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom where his music is starting to reach musicians in many fields.
“Clouds & Mountains” is published by United Music Publishing in England.
Michael’s music-making is a life-long passion, and he regards it as a way he can be of service to humanity, providing musical works and performances that he calls “little worlds” to explore, where listeners and players discover the new whilst traversing fresh and familiar musical forms, ideas and sounds.
He also has his own You Tube channel which includes concert videos, and his Bandcamp page has his eight albums and other recordings available for purchase.
Michael is now looking forward to supporting players of his music from around the world.
Michael works from his Eagle Heights home where he says inspiration is found by working and living in the natural surrounds.
