Michelle Griffin grew up in the Bathurst region. She studied piano with Jennie Menzies for ten years, before gaining acceptance to the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music in 1998. She studied piano with Natalia Ricci and Gian-Franco Ricci, and was awarded a Bachelor of Music degree with first-class Honours in Piano Performance and Musicology. During her time at university she performed many solo recitals, and played in Masterclasses with recognised pianists Piers Lane and Gerard Willems. She was also a featured guest pianist for the Australasian Liszt Society. Away from the piano, Michelle founded what she believes to be Australia’s only kazoo orchestra and wrote a large portion of her Honours thesis on P.D.Q Bach (If you don’t believe her, she’d be happy to let you read it sometime).

Currently, Michelle teaches piano at Mitchell Conservatorium, as well as All Saints’ College, The Scots School, and St Stanislaus College. She has worked with local theatre groups such as the Carillion Theatrical Society and Bathurst Theatre Company and with regional ensembles such as the Macquarie Philharmonia. She also works extensively as an accompanist throughout the Central West.

During her rather tenuous spare time, Michelle knits her own clothes, adds to a staggering collection of sheet music, and watches a surprising amount of cartoons.