Michael Hernandez
"I'm loving my new custom Key Leaves for my soprano!"
“I LOVE my Key Leaves Spit Sponge! I used to have to carry cigarette/water blotting paper - and because it cleans the gunk I don’t even use powder paper anymore!”
Hailed as a “World class performer!” and “An extraordinary talent!” Michael Hernandez has been heard in concert halls throughout Germany, Switzerland, Poland, France, Holland, Austria, Italy, the UK, Canada, and the United States. He has also been broadcasted several times nationwide on NPR’s Performance Today. Recently Hernandez has appeared with the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, The Phoenix Symphony Guild, New Century Chamber Orchestra, The National Music Festival Orchestra, The Hot Springs Music Festival Orchestra, The Santa Cruz Symphony, The San Jose State University Wind Symphony, The Monterey Symphony, and the West Valley Symphony.
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Hernandez has enjoyed collaborating with many well known Bay Area organizations such as Empyrean Ensemble, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, New Century Chamber Orchestra, Santa Cruz Symphony, Composers Inc., MEDIATE Art Group, Center for New Music, Monterey Symphony and the SF stARTup Fair.
Recent recital highlights include performances at the Center For New Music (CA), Hanns Eisler Musikhochschule (Germany), Ducal Castle (Poland), Bartholomeus Gashuis (Netherlands), SpectrumNYC (NY), Music in the Manasion (CA), the Downtown Chamber Series, Ethos New Music Festival (NY), FeNAM/Festival of New American Music (CA), Trinity Chamber Concerts of Berkley (CA), El Dorado Chamber Concerts (CA), The Artist Series (FL), SoundWired Chicago (IL), Jacksonville’s Friday Musicale (FL), Community Concerts at Second of Baltimore (MD), Roche Family Visiting Artist Series (PA), Fairmont Chamber Music Society (WV), and many others.
As founding soprano saxophonist of the critically acclaimed Mana Quartet, Michael has been invited to hold residencies at dozens of music festivals and universities including Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Hot Springs Music Festival, National Music Festival, Music in the Mountains, The Taneycomo Festival Orchestra, The Festival of New American Music, Ethos New Music Festival, and the Oklahoma State Contemporary Music Festival.
Hernandez is a D’Addario Performing Artist and plays exclusively on Reserve Classic Reeds and performs on an historical saxophone built to the acoustical specifications of the instrument’s inventor, Adolphe Sax. Michael currently serves on the faculty of San Jose State University.