Featured Guest: Brad Michel, Recording Engineer, Harmonia Mundi USA

Topic: Using Equipment and Acoustics to Make Realistic Recordings

Brad Michel is recording Engineer/Session Producer for Harmonia Mundi USA, winner of the Gramophone Label of the year 2003-04. He will be playing examples of his work and welcomes discussion of recordings and recording techniques for classical music.

Brad Michel, recording engineer and session producer for Harmonia Mundi USA, has been involved in over 150 productions for that label. Brad together with Robina Young, Harmonia Mundi executive producer and artistic director, make up one of today's most prolific and respected recording teams. Brad trained as a classical musician at Northwestern University and the Eastman School and is attracted to recording techniques, through technology and acoustics, that shine a realistic and vivid light on the music and the musicians. Lauded by both the music and audio press, his recordings have earned distinctions including The Gramophone Award, Gramophone Critic's Choice Award, Grammy nominations, Classic FM Record of the Year (England), Diapason d`Or, Cannes Classical Award (France), Der Deutscher Schallplatten Preis (Germany), The Edison Award (The Netherlands), and are included on lists including Stereophile's Record of the Month, Records to Die for and The Absolute Sound's Golden Ear awards. The Absolute Sound writes of a recent English Chamber Orchestra Elgar recording "This recording now stands high on my list to illustrate how nearly reproduced music can approach the beauty of the real thing."

Recent projects include Paul Hillier's Grammy nominated series "Baltic Voices" with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tchaikovsky Symphonies with Daniele Gatti conducting the Royal Philharmonic, and Anonymous 4's Billboard chart topping "American Angels"

Proceed to Kendall Square [as if going to the Volpe Center]. Go to Broadway and turn north onto 3rd Street [as if going to the Volpe Parking], proceed [past the turn into Volpe Parking] to Binney Street. Turn left onto Binney Street. Go for two blocks, turn right onto 6th Street. Proceed for two blocks, turn left on Charles Street. The Broad Institute is on your left. It is a two story tan colored building that covers the entire city block. Park on the street either on Charles Street or Bent Street. The center is open Saturday, so if the meeting is on that day, don't park in the assigned spaces. The entrance is at the Corner of Fulkerson and Charles Street. (On the glass it says Whitehead/MIT Center for Genome Research). The meeting is directly inside.