Michael Shun (b. 1996) is a composer and educator based in New Hampshire. They began their career arranging percussion scores for high school and college drumlines, including for The College of the Holy Cross “Goodtime” Marching Band’s halftime show at the 2016 Ram-Crusader Cup held at Yankee Stadium. Shortly after, Shun began composing for choirs and wind ensembles, and they were the featured composer of Holy Cross’ 39th annual Festival of Lessons and Carols. Their first symphony for winds, percussion, and voices has been hailed as a “monumental contribution to the repertoire and a piece which stands as one of the few successful choral symphonies for the band.” Recently, Shun was named a finalist in the 2023 Silverling Composition Contest for Reconciliation.

Michael holds a Master of Arts in Music Composition from the University of New Hampshire. Their primary teacher for composition was Dr. Andrew Boysen, Jr., with Professors Mike Annicchiarico and Rob Haskins as influential teachers for analysis and counterpoint, respectively. After completing their graduate studies, Michael was hired as Resident Artist in Composition at UNH where they currently teach the composition students as well as music theory and aural skills.

Prior to UNH, Michael attended the College of the Holy Cross where they earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Classics. During their time there, Michael won the Walter Gordon Howe Percussion Prize for two consecutive years, and performed with renowned quartet Sō Percussion for their 2017 production A Gun Show. Their most influential teachers from Holy Cross include Professor Matt Jaskot for composition, Dr. Steven Riley for wind conducting, Dr. Allegra Martin for choral conducting, and Jonathan Hess for percussion. In the world of scholarship, Michael spearheaded a program with the Holy Cross Manuscripts, Inscriptions, and Documents club to create digitally accessible editions of 9th-century chant manuscripts.

As a freelance composer, Michael has written music for schools, chamber ensembles, and presently collaborates with the Maine Music Educators Association to write etudes for their all-state auditions. Michael’s music has been performed and workshopped by internationally recognized groups Transient Canvas and Cuarteto Latinoamericano and composers John Mackey and Daniel Bukvich.

In their spare time, you can find Michael comparing music theory textbooks, watching queer dramas/comedies on Netflix, and cooking new recipes alongside their partner, Rebecca.