By the time composer/woodwind player Michael McGinnis arrived in New York City in May of 1997, he had already begun to develop an eclectic and unique voice on the saxophone, clarinet and flute along with and ever-expanding palette as a composer.

This is evidenced by his having worked with some of today’s most innovative and influential artists including Anthony Braxton’s Trillium E Orchestra, Steve Coleman's Aquarius Ingress (Ravi Coltrane, Tony Malaby, Miguel Zenon and Chris Speed), the Lonnie Plaxico Group, Stew & Heidi (of Passing Strange/the Negro Problem), Fela! On Broadway (saxophone soloist),

Art Lande, Yo La Tengo, the Ohad Talmor/Steve Swallow Sextet, Alice Coltrane, Martin Kersels (Whitney Biennial 2009) and the Losers Lounge among others.
He recorded his debut CD “Tangents” with his group Between Green (which included Shane Endsley and Jacob Sacks) for Ravi Coltrane’s RKM Music label in 2000. As a co-leader he has recorded 4 albums with the four bags, one with DDYGG and one with OK|OK.

Michael has performed extensively in the United States and internationally including Japan, Turkey, France, Italy, Bosnia, Switzerland, Mexico, Canada, Austria and his performances and compositions have been featured on WNYC, VH1, ABC, MTV, The Daily Show and HBO. You can see him playing the flute in the Ang Lee film “Taking Woodstock” (2009).
McGinnis was born in Sanford, ME and began playing saxophone at age ten with Angela Hendricks and studied saxophone, clarinet, flute, and composition at the University of Southern

Maine with Bill Street. He did graduate work Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY during the famed Cain-Alessi years (1995-1997).
Michael is also active as an educator both as a resident teaching artist in schools and by maintaining a private studio where he teaches saxophone, clarinet, composition, counterpoint, harmony, arranging and improvisation.