ABW Radio: Cellist Michael Fitzpatrick on Tuning the Planet ABW TV: Healing Pain Naturally

From The White House to the Royal Palace in Jordan; from the United Nations to the Parliament of World’s Religions in Australia; from performing for Sir George Martin of The Beatles to a performance in a Tibetan temple in the remote tip of Southern India; from the United States Capitol West Lawn with His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama to soloing at the Hollywood Bowl; from the high hills of Spoleto to the mountain peaks of Aspen; from collaborating with Nobel Peace Prize laureates to mentoring inner city youths; and from the historical Baptismal Site at Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan to the musical descent into Mammoth Cave – the largest cave in the world – Michael Fitzpatrick has directly shaped a global vision of tuning the planet.

Featured in the New York Times, the USA Today, on PBS’ The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, Fitzpatrick has performed around the world for the past 30 years, performing in concerts across Europe, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, India, Australia, and numerous tours criss-crossing the United States and Canada. He has performed as cello soloist at The Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Center, Town Hall, the Aspen Music Festival and most recently at the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds’ 100 Year Anniversary Concert honoring its founder, Pulitzer Prize winner Gian Carlo Menotti.  He was instrumental in bringing together Nobel Peace laureate His Holiness the Dalai Lama and United Nations Messenger of Peace Muhammad Ali, performing for their historic joining and blessing of the Kumbum Chamtse Ling Temple.

            “Michael Fitzpatrick has the respect and friendship of Government leaders and members of the Performing Arts community throughout the world.  I find his interest in all endeavors – artistic and intellectual, combined with his enormous talent and enthusiasm used by him to enhance his global commitment to using music to uplift humanity  a source of great encouragement to those of us engaged in reaching out to every race, creed and culture represented at the United Nation.  As a close personal friend of Maestro Pablo Casals,  I can think of no more exemplary artist….”     Sylvia Howard Fuhrman – Special Representative to the Secretary-General – The United Nations

He is the Founder of Millenia Music. In his capacity as Executive Director of Millenia Music in its first two decades, he has conceived and shaped its vision and mission and guided its networking, outreach, public relations, publicity and marketing, photography, copy-writing, graphic design, concert production, film-directing, film-editing, film-scoring, art-direction, CD-production, film-production, music-direction, event production, fundraising, and served as producer and executive producer for all of its endeavors.

Michael Fitzpatrick is composer and cello soloist of the film-score for Journey from Zanskar by Academy Award® nominee Frederick Marx, Director of HOOP DREAMS. His cello solos can be heard in music for film and television including the films ONE and EARTHLINGS, narrated by Academy Award® winner Joaquin Phoenix, in Emmy® Award-winning composer Laura Karpman’s soundtrack to PBS’ Craft in America, and in Christopher Guest’s new HBO series FAMILY TREE , scored by multi-talented instrumentalist/composer/producer CJ Vanston, Musical Director for THIS IS SPINAL TAP.  He served as Music Advisor to CASALS: A Cry for Peace, the final film from Academy Award® winner Robert Snyder.

Fitzpatrick serves on Aspen Institute’s Global Initiative on Culture and Society’s Board of Advisors. His thoughts on artistry and life are featured in Zoe Sallis’ book TEN ETERNAL QUESTIONS – alongside thoughts by His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama, Shimon Peres, Nelson Mandela, U2’s Bono, and Sir Bob Geldof. He comes from a family of artists and musicians of Polish, Ukrainian, Catalonian, French and Irish descent including Rose Bein Lerman – piano-accompanist to the Metropolitan Opera star and cantor Jan Peerce – and legendary violinist Bronislaw Huberman, founder of The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Michael Fitzpatrick plays the Gemunder / Injeian ‘Golden Cello’ restored by Master Violinmaker Phillip Injeian of Pittsburgh – and the Jensen 5-String Electric Cello made by Eric Jensen of Seattle.  His principal cello studies were with Scott Ballantyne, Personal Teaching Assistant to Leonard Rose.