Michael Cushing is a graduate of the Hartt School of Music and the Yale School of Music. After graduate school, he played for several years on broadway tours before settling in the Bay Area. As a specialist in Renaissance and Baroque brass performance practice, he has appeared with the San Francisco Bach Choir, Gabrieli West, and was Associate Music Director for the Utah Shakespearean Festival. He currently plays 2nd trombone with the Santa Cruz Symphony and West Bay Opera, and rounds out his time with freelance playing and private teaching.