Auria (7th-12th)

Michelle has been a seeker of creativity & wonderment since childhood. Raised in Madagascar and Minnesota, as a young girl Michelle fell in love with the internal landscape of books and story, and the external narrative of nature and the outdoors, with music woven throughout both worlds. As a teenager she filled her days with theater, choir, speech, and music and found in those spaces both her strengths and gifting, as well as her people and belonging. Michelle received a BA in Music Performance with a vocal emphasis from Colorado Christian University, and spent the following years touring with various groups and working as a studio musician and vocalist for commercial and corporate events. Michelle has also led worship for over 25 years, recorded on various worship albums featuring her original music, and released two solo albums as a singer-songwriter. Teaching voice and piano from her home studio, Michelle has also taught and mentored songwriting for several summers at The Junior Composer’s Institute, and directed four years of Christmas choir and orchestra performances of Handel’s Messiah. In 2013 Michelle joined the founding board of Twin Cities Homeschoolers for the Arts and is passionate about providing faith-based quality performing arts opportunities to the homeschooling community. Michelle has a special love for working with teens, enjoying the role of music director for TCHA musical productions since 2018, and is now thrilled to be directing the TCHA teen mixed choirs and female select ensemble. She has two college-age children, Kenoy and Paris, and lives in Eagan, MN.