Improvising musician, Christine de Michele, street portrait, Lucerne, Switzerland
 

I’m an improvising musician and writer from Midcoast Maine, currently based in the North Carolina mountains. I began performing professionally as a teenager, and after 10 years running a studio teaching practice in New York City while working in the cultural sector, I’ve come full circle—returning to session work and live performance. I approach each musical opportunity with curiosity and attunement, and I appreciate your interest in my process. If you’re looking to hire an at-the-ready vocalist-pianist, order one of my albums, bring a versatile directer into a project, add a lyricist with an English degree to your studio session, find out more about my work, or simply explore my happen-chance path found the right place.

@christine.de.michele

hello@compassmusiclab.com

 

MARITIME COWBOY

After a 30-day public street performance experiment in NYC, and a chance encounter that caught the ear of GRAMMY-winning producer, Malcolm Burn, Christine de Michele wrote and recorded her first full-length collection.

A nod to any woman who has reordered her life to captain her own ship. The album’s story unfolds just before that turning point, in reply to an important encounter with an enduring connection. Maritime Cowboy is the man who offers a mirror to the adventure and freedom she will soon possess — but can she keep her wits, and her heart, as she crosses the line?

 
Order Maritime Cowboy
“When she sings, it’s like the whole universe is speaking to all of us.”
— Dr. Evelyn Lindler, Nominee, Nobel Peace PrizE
“I love this soul-touching record.”
— Vinny Rich, Sony Music
“It’s such a big undertaking to make an album of original music — and her record sounds fabulous!”
— Kristin Slipp, Vocalist, The Dirty Projectors, MMeadows
“There’s a mystic poet sort of wisdom in her voice that makes music like this, in my mind, timeless.”
— Andrew Marotta, Bensonhurst Review
Christine de Michele, Maritime Cowboy Release Show, NYC

Christine de Michele, Jeff Koch, Maritime Cowboy release show, Cornelia Street Cafe, West Village, NYC

Maritime Cowboy release show, NYC

Dustin Kaufman, Christian Nourijanian, Jeff Koch, Christine de Michele (left to right), Maritime Cowboy release show, Cornelia Street Cafe, West Village, NYC

 
Reuben Allen, Organ, Maritime Cowboy

Reuben Allen, recording organ for Maritime Cowboy, Kingston, New York

Malcolm Burn, Producer, Maritime Cowboy

Malcolm Burn, recording Maritime Cowboy in his studio, Kingston, New York

Christine de Michele, in Malcolm Burn's studio, recording Maritime Cowboy,

Christine de Michele, recording Maritime Cowboy, Kingston New York

MARITIME COWBOY

  1. Spend a Week

  2. Signal

  3. Island

  4. Northern Star

  5. Only Hello

  6. Traveling

  7. Salve (in the age of the Selfie Stick)

  8. Three Fishers

  9. Will You Love Me Tomorrow

 

THE 92NY SESSIONS

Each weekday morning during the middle years of her New York decade, Christine went to work at 92NY. There, on her lunch breaks and commutes across Central Park, she thought about daily routines. After a 30-day public street performance experiment, she set out to play, sing, and write for 365 days straight. A chance encounter with GRAMMY-winning producer, Malcolm Burn led to Maritime Cowboy and also to a byproduct: hundreds of Lofi recordings, some featured here, in these little montages.

More Montages
“Christine de Michele has a fabulous voice.”
— Ed Bilous, The Juilliard School
 

SPARROW

'Sparrow are fronted by the dulcet-toned Christine de Michele. Their sound is trip hoppy and recalls Lamb and Morcheeba. Your Fable starts the ep with a quiet, determined song that showcases de Michele's vocal gifts. Entre is fluid and delightful, de Michele sings beautifully to a rhythmic backing. "Your nose is so cute I want to eat it" she sings casually on Hungry? while oddly resembling Jane Siberry. This is a sparkling collection of songs.' -Review by Anna Maria Stjärnell / Collected Sounds

'The female-fronted band offers songs that bring to mind the sound of Zero 7 tunes mixed with Sophie Barker and Sia Furler. Vocalist, songwriter and keyboardist on the album, Christine de Michele wears a number of hats, and she wears them well. She does not do it alone, though, as driving drums and swirling, echoing guitars offer great counterpoints.' - Performer Magazine

Order Sparrow View
“A sparking collection of songs.”
— Anna Maria Starjnell, Collected Sounds
Christine de Michele, debut album cover, Sparrow, View

Click to listen to View @2007. Recorded DIY in a bathroom and an attic in Boston, Massachusetts