Michael Mixtacki is a performer and educator, currently
teaching percussion and world music at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb,
IL. He teaches applied percussion lessons and classes, co-directs the NIU
Percussion Ensemble, and is the director of the NIU Latin Jazz and Afro-Cuban
Folkloric Ensembles.
As a performer, Michael is the drummer, percussionist, lead
singer, and arranger for Ritmos Unidos,
based in Bloomington, IN, and helped co-produce their recent CD release, ¡Funklorico! Michael has recorded with
Grammy nominee Wayne Wallace, and has also been featured as a singer and
percussionist with Brazilian bands Grupo
Balança in Madison, WI and Ginga
in Boulder, CO. He has performed as a
timpanist with the Madison Symphony Orchestra and has played in a number of
clinics and performances at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention
and the Jazz Education Network Convention.
Michael is a regular faculty member at the UW-Summer Music
Clinic in Madison, WI, and the Birch Creek Percussion and Steel band session in
Egg Harbor, WI. He is a highly sought after guest artist at many colleges and
high schools throughout the Midwest as both a percussionist and a singer.
Michael is an endorser of Latin Percussion (LP) instruments and Innovative
Percussion sticks and mallets.