Michael was music director, conductor, and arranger of the Broadway production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in 1994, and has collaborated as such with composer Alan Menken ever since. He’s worked steadily on Broadway since 1982, on the original productions of such shows as Nine; Grand Hotel; Secret Garden; King David; Mayor; A Chorus Line; Triumph of Love; Little Shop of Horrors; The Little Mermaid; Leap of Faith; Sister Act; Newsies and Aladdin, as well as on The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the recent stage adaptation of Hercules. His vast motion picture work includes Pocahontas; Hercules; Enchanted; Tangled; Ralph Breaks the Internet and the live-films of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin; and he is currently at work on Enchanted’s sequel (Disenchanted), as well as Skydance Animation’s Spellbound.
An Emmy-award-winning television music producer and arranger, he worked for both seasons on the musical series Galavant, and has also composed songs and scores for children’s shows Sesame Street, the BBC’s Third and Bird, and The Wonder Pets, among others.
In the recording world, Michael is a three-time Grammy-nominated recording artist and producer, where his work ranges from dozens of theatre albums and motion picture soundtracks to concert recordings of the legendary Barbara Cook. He also maintains an active concert career ranging from cabaret to symphony orchestras and pop concerts, and has conducted Disney films live to picture in venues ranging from the Hollywood Bowl to Tokyo’s Budokan.