Praised for “beautiful performances of great warmth” (Classical Voice of North Carolina), Dr. Michael Delfín captures the listener with sensitivity and flair on both the modern piano and historical keyboards. Mr. Delfín won the top prize ex aequo in the Ninth Jurow International Harpsichord Competition, shortly after being nominated to the Diapason 20 Under 30 Class of 2021. He is the recipient of the Bourbon Baroque Nicolas Fortin Scholarship, the Historical Keyboard Society of North America Bechtel/Clinkscale Scholarship, and the Catacoustic Consort Early Music Grant. Recent performances include solo recitals for the Western Early Keyboard Association and Central California Baroque Festival, and appearances with Lyra Baroque, Bourbon Baroque, the CCM Concert Orchestra, and at The Stone in NYC and the Ear Taxi New Music Festival. Upcoming performances include the world premiere of Armando Bayolo’s [Unplanned] Obsolescence with the American Chamber Symphony and solo recitals in the Midwest and on the East Coast.
Mr. Delfín is the artistic director of the Cincinnati-based ensemble Seven Hills Baroque and serves on the board of directors of the Historical Keyboard Society of North America. A devoted teacher, Mr. Delfín was Adjunct Professor of Piano at Cedarville University and has served on the continuo staff of the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute. He makes his home with his wife and son in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he serves as organist at Grace Presbyterian church, and in joined the faculty at The University of Alabama as Instructor of Early Chamber Music, Historical Keyboards, and Introduction to Listening.
A native of Fresno, CA, Mr. Delfín holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, San Francisco Conservatory, Peabody Conservatory, and the Johns Hopkins University. His mentors include Michael Unger, Awadagin Pratt, Yoshikazu Nagai, Boris Slutsky, and Carol Oaks.