Mike Khoury

Palestinian-American creative improvising violinist Mike Khoury was born in Mt. Pleasant, MI, in 1969. The son of visual artist Sari Khoury, he was exposed to various cultural endeavors, growing up approximate to the campus of Central Michigan University. He began studying violin at the age of ten, and was tutored by Juilliard Music School graduate Nancy Smith, but abandoned the violin for the electric bass guitar. He was a student in the Mt. Pleasant public school system, and then headed for the metro Detroit area. Upon arriving in Detroit in 1999, Khoury started taking classes with David Litven at the Art Center Music School, where he continues with lessons. He played in various combos, specifically the Urban Farmers, who combined ethnic music with elements of jazz and psychedelic rock. Returning to the violin, Khoury went on to explore the possibilities of free and improvised music, resuming his studies and collaborating with such local musicians as woodwind player Jason Shearer and percussionist Ben Hall, and the large ensemble Siege Machine with Shearer, Hall, John Olson, Mark Sawasky, and Joel Peterson. Siege Machine balanced graphic score compositions with improvisation. As the duo is his favorite format, Khoury has paired up with Hall, Hans Buetow, <a href="spotify:artist:48dSbNmxy9zk4PtjLwda68">Piotr Michalowski</a>, and his cousin Leyya Tawil, and has worked in the ensemble of Will Soderberg.

Participating in a variety of workshops from 2000 to 2003 in Detroit, Hamtramck, Dearborn, and Pontiac, Khoury received valuable instruction from <a href="spotify:artist:4RYdGcP5rtDRLNQzHVPtXY">Luc Houtkamp</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6AMTZmkXckQ2KIr5ar4IbI">John Lindberg</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4RvllXSRb8WB2CsfjalFs9">Gerald Cleaver</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3f0B4pTTcBMPnTfcheHVy8">Andrew Lamb</a>, Warren Smith, and <a href="spotify:artist:0vZctYhDsWw8r2y6xsZqu1">Frank Gratkowski</a>; took the <a href="spotify:artist:1Z3fF5lZdCM0ZHugkGoH8s">John Cage</a> opera master class at Marygrove College in Detroit; and studied with oud/violin player <a href="spotify:artist:50kHo3Q3Rn1v441ISI00Rh">Simon Shaheen</a> courtesy of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services. Concurrently he established Entropy Studios in Hamtramck, staging dozens of concerts from local, regional, national, and internationally renowned improvisers, and founded the Entropy CD label. In that capacity he has recorded or performed with Rob Cambre, Greg Wildes, Allison Stanley, Mark Southerland and Bill McKemy of <a href="spotify:artist:4pP5n4cdGGVDTaIhwzcjBD">the Malachy Papers</a>, Arny Young, Eric Roth of explosion:cerebral, <a href="spotify:artist:2auFgKEyQz7c5Hh3cUFdVU">John Sinclair</a>, Maury Coles, Tim Hundevad, Jason Hammer, Lê Quan Ninh, Silver Measure, <a href="spotify:artist:21eNaaRIABSUAyUV7sOrR8">Hans Fjellestad</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1J7tdSchRty1vaSenwDBbw">Damon Holzborn</a>, Sam Rabourn, Carl Smith, <a href="spotify:artist:7nYLrkvpbB4OYYKr4HLMVG">Blaise Siwula</a>, Jack Wright, Chris Peck, <a href="spotify:artist:0ukgalrlZpVVwe9rYlkERE">James Ilgenfritz</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7jFGIbZAfDHG7oeXtR5sHN">Mike Hansen</a>, Tomasz Krakowiak, David Prentice, <a href="spotify:artist:1hVCzp4i06uCzdwUVsCIke">Dennis Gonzalez</a> in Yells with Eels with his sons Aaron Gonzalez and Stefan Gonzalez, the Northwoods Improvisers, <a href="spotify:artist:1mIvnYKWXADkdUjjZi7heD">Faruq Z. Bey</a>, Mike Carey, Len Bukowski, John Voigt, <a href="spotify:artist:0ci7QTOgaA15OkgT5GvZ7F">John Butcher</a>, Jerome Breyerton, Brian Mackie, Michael Welch, <a href="spotify:artist:5FKftMxfJLqQUM5X9Y94Yf">Gunda Gottschalk</a>, Nathan Hubbard, <a href="spotify:artist:0Zm0qPKsq5ssCXYouLrfeC">Gino Robair</a>, Fred Bergman, <a href="spotify:artist:0KRGfDJpLCQU0TrrbMWbPt">John Shiurba</a>, Curtis Glatter, <a href="spotify:artist:5kxrrPxdnf5fDUJNghZXnt">Damon Smith</a>, Scott Looney, <a href="spotify:artist:0YF3qtefKFjWR0Sd31sxj1">Marcos Fernandes</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:151kdGxCPmdZZqaYsd79F5">Nate Wooley</a>, Michael Caleb, Mary Redhouse, Ryan Jewell, <a href="spotify:artist:3GGvZBnxyzkTdx2QXxrIuw">Glen Hall</a>, Chris Riggs, and <a href="spotify:artist:7Ja8R4LL3ksrdsXPWarl6a">Wolfgang Fuchs</a>. Collective group projects include Violinsploitation with Will Soderberg and Sound Vibration Alchemy with Andrew Coltrane. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi