About Michael Schweppe
While pursuing degrees in music and theater, Michael Schweppe developed a passion for recording live music performance and began his audio career in theater sound. During his five year tenure as Resident Sound Designer at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, he worked with the likes of Tennessee Williams and David Mamet. During that time, he also worked as an audio engineer at the Chicago Bureau of National Public Radio.
Alan Held as Wotan, Washington National Opera
Photo: Karin Cooper
In 1985 Michael moved to Washington, DC to work at NPR's main headquarters. During his twenty three year tenure he earned a reputation as one of the most talented and highly regarded recording engineers for almost all genres of music: opera, jazz, symphonic, and chamber music, at festivals and venues all around the country.
He has recorded over fifty operas for NPR's World of Opera, featuring artists such as Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Samuel Ramey, Mirella Freni, Denyce Graves, and Placido Domingo. He has worked in a wide variety of opera houses, from Glimmerglass to Santa Fe to the Kennedy Center and even high up in the Rockies at Central City Colorado.
I have enjoyed collaborating with Michael as he recorded our productions for NPR. His knowledge and understanding of our entire company has led to first rate, high quality recordings of our performances that capture both the excitement and drama from the stage. Michael's experience and skill have been great assets to Washington National Opera.
-Placido Domingo
Michael has twice recorded live concerts in the East Room of the White House. He has been the technical director or mix engineer for many live broadcasts. Highlights include the grand opening of new Jazz at Lincoln Center complex, the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo Yo Ma, the Aspen Music Festival, the Gilmore Keyboard Festival, and the Verdi Requiem with the Washington National Opera, conducted by Placido Domingo.
In 1997, Michael was awarded an Alfred J. Dupont-Columbia University award for engineering a special program by Norman Corwin called "Fifty Years after 14 August."
Last New Year's Eve, Michael mixed a live jazz concert performance from the Kennedy Center starring Grammy winning recording artist Patti Austin and her seven piece band for a world-wide NPR New Year's Eve broadcast. Most recently, he recorded Washington National Opera's production of Cavalleria Rusticana starring Dolora Zajick, Salvatore Licitra, and Gordon Hawkins, and the 12th Annual Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival in the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center.
Michael recording in Sri Lanka.
Michael's passion for sound recording is not limited to music. Combining his engineering skills with his love of the outdoors, Michael has worked in many remote areas of the world such as the Syrian desert, the far northern Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, and even aboard a massive fishing factory trawler in the Bering Sea. He has recorded while kayaking off of the Channel Islands in California. In January 2005, while covering the Tsunami aftermath in Sri Lanka, he was able to record a wild elephant trumpeting at an alarmingly close range when the opportunity presented itself quite unexpectedly.
Learn about Michael's recording highlights.