Michael grew up in Indiana and began learning the trumpet at an early age under the guidance of his father, who was a high school band director at the time.

Michael studied trumpet performance at Northern Illinois University and received a Bachelor of Music degree in 1985.

His orchestral career began in Mexico City as a member of the Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México in 1985. The following year, he became a founding member of the Filarmónica del Bajio in Guanajuato.

In 1989, Michael took a leave of absence to pursue postgraduate studies at Northwestern University, where he earned a Master's degree in Trumpet Performance. Following his studies, he performed for one season as Principal Trumpet of the Nova Filarmonia Portuguesa in Lisbon, Portugal.

Michael returned to Mexico in 1992, accepting an invitation to become the Principal Trumpet of the Sinfonica de la Universidad de Guanajuato. He joined the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra as Acting Principal Trumpet in 1995 and was appointed Principal Trumpet in 1997.