Mike Kelleher

Mike has been composing, arranging, and performing music professionally for over 30 years. A guitarist and singer, he performs mostly jazz and blues, but at times classical, rock, bluegrass, and other popular genres. He’s also worked as an arranger for vocal and instrumental ensembles, mostly focused on jazz and jazz-classical fusion. The album Melange is a collaboration with his wife, Karin, a classical violinist. He began his college years as a trumpet and voice major (meeting Karin in an 8 a.m. music theory class), learning the basics of harmony, composition, and performance. While his day job has always been something other than music, his passion for composing and performing rich harmonic and improvisational music has never waned. In his collaboration with Karin, he’s composed and arranged music which combines the intimate textures of a string quartet with luscious jazz harmony and rhythm.

Photography by Karen Elliott Greisdorf