Michael Cain is a graduate of CalArts with both a BFA and a MFA. He is the Founder and Director of MacPhail’s EMRA (Electronic Music Recording Arts) program and the Co-Founder & CEO of EKWE™, a mobile platform designed for user-friendly and intuitive digital music creation. (Visit EKWE™ at MacPhail for the promo code for a free year-long trial.)
After moving to New York in 1990, Cain became a first-call pianist, working for nine years with drum legend Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Steps Ahead, Ravi Coltrane, Bobby McFerrin, Stanley Turrentine, Lauren Hill, Joshua Redman, Pat Metheny, Charles Neville, Christian McBride, John Scofield, Robin Eubanks, and Meshell N’degeocello, among others.
Michael Cain’s numerous awards include a 2006 Grammy nomination for Dance of the Infidel, Meshell N’degeocello’s release in which Michael is pianist and co-arranger. He has recorded several records as a leader, including Circa, a 1996 ECM release featuring Ralph Alessi and Peter Epstein, and served as producer for several recordings, including Ron Blake’s Shariya and Brian Landrus’ Traverse and Capsule.
Notable projects include composing the music for the films “Maybe” and “Real With Me” by director Carl Ford for Black Nexxus Films, serving as pianist and musical director for the Jose Limon Dance Company’s New York premiere of “Crossroads,” a collaboration between composer James Newton and choreographer Donald McKayle, and composing the music for the Broadway play “View from 151st Street,” which ran at the George Papp Public Theater in New York. Additionally, Cain was artist-in-residence at the University of Auckland, NZ, during the summer of 2022. During the spring of 2024, Cain collaborated with the Boston Ballet, composing electronic sound elements with Musical Director Mischa Santora (former artistic director of MacPhail’s Spotlight) and choreographer Ken Ossola for his world premiere of “The Space Between.” In September 2024, Cain was a featured artist at the Capão Jazz Festival in Bahia, Brazil, performing with his trio.
As an educator, Michael has been a Professor at the Eastman School of Music, the New England Conservatory of Music, the University of Minnesota, and Brandon University in Brandon, MB, Canada.
Michael’s latest release is entitled Hoo Doo and is available on iTunes and other platforms.
