Michael Markowski is fully qualified to watch movies and cartoons. Although he graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in ‘Film Practices,’ his thirst for writing music has always been the more persistent itch.

At Crismon Elementary, he first joined band playing the alto saxophone under Gary Larkins. This was the start of his journey, one that would continue under several notable mentors and music teachers: Dawn Parker (Rhodes Junior High School), Jon Gomez (Dobson High School), Dr. Karl Schindler, Larry Hochman, and Michael Shapiro.

In 2006, Shadow Rituals – one of Markowski’s first compositions for concert band – received First Prize in Manhattan Beach Music’s Frank Ticheli Composition Contest. Since those early years, his music has been performed around the world, from the Musikverein in Vienna to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the streets of New York City, from the Arizona Musicfest Symphony Orchestra, The Memphis Symphony, The Phoenix Symphony, The Houston Symphony, The Pittsburgh Camerata, to the United States Army and Air Force Bands. He has been the composer-in-residence for the ‘Music for All’ organization (2015), the ‘Mid Europe’ international wind band festival in Schladming, Austria (2013-2018), and frequently visits junior high schools, high schools, universities, and community bands around the country to share stories about his music.

Still, Markowski continues to grow his craft by pursuing and participating in programs like The Art of Orchestration, the National Band Association’s Young Composer and Conductor Mentorship Project, and the NYU/ASCAP Foundation’s Film Scoring Workshop. As a film composer, Markowski has composed music for several independent projects, most notably Nathan Blackwell’s “The Last Movie Ever Made,” which is now streaming on Amazon Prime and Apple TV. His commercial music can also be heard in various ad campaigns from brands like Chi-Chi’s, Gila River Casino, and Truly Nolan.

He was invited to join the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop in 2015 as a composer and lyricist where he honed in and explored various songwriting and dramaturgical skills. As an orchestrator, he has prepared charts for conductor Steven Reineke and The New York Pops Orchestra, which have featured stunning vocalists Hailey Kilgore, Derek Klena, Javier Muñoz, Ali Stroker, and Valisia LeKae. Over the years, he’s also been very fortunate to work closely with the talented Jay Klaitz, Paige O’Hara, and the late John Dunsworth.

Beyond composition, Markowski has occasionally taken on the roles of producer and engineer, collaborating on projects like opera singer Timothy Stoddard’s debut solo album, “Tarot” (2023, Navona Records), and curating his own album of original compositions with the Brooklyn Wind Symphony.

Michael is a member of ASCAP and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.