Michelle Martin-Atwood
Michelle R. Martin-Atwood, originally from Unity, Saskatchewan, Canada, holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and a Master of Music in organ performance, as well as a Sacred Music Diploma from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with David Higgs. She earned a Bachelor of Music in organ from the University of Alberta, under the tutelage of Dr. Marnie Giesbrecht.
In 2010, Michelle joined the faculty of the Crane School of Music, State University of New York at Potsdam, where she taught a wide range of courses, including Music Theory I and Accelerated Music Theory II for Non-Majors, Secondary Organ Lessons, History of Sacred Music, and Aural Skills I and II. For nearly a decade, she also taught organ and piano through the Center for Lifelong Education and Recreation (CLEAR) at SUNY Potsdam and served as organ faculty for Canada’s Summer Institute of Church Music. In addition, she has served as a judge for various organ and chamber ensemble competitions.
From 2021-2024, Michelle served as an instructor and advisor in the First-Year Program at St. Lawrence University and, in 2024, was appointed University Organist. That spring, she also accepted the position of Academic Advisor for the Advancing Completion Through Engagement (ACE) Program at SUNY Potsdam, managing 150 students.
Dr. Martin-Atwood has performed as a soloist at numerous events and conferences, including the XXI International Organ Festival of Guanajuato, Mexico (2018), the Inauguration of the 16th President of the State University of New York, and the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI) conference Aspects of American Organ Building in the Twentieth Century. She has also performed for the American Guild of Organists Young Artists Recital and in Göteborg, Sweden, at a memorial concert for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Michelle was a semifinalist in the 2002 Royal Bank Calgary International Organ Competition, a competitor in the National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance (2003–04), and a finalist in the International Bach Organ Competition (2000).
Her academic and artistic work has been supported by multiple grants and scholarships, including the Johann Strauss Scholarship for the Advanced Study of Music in Austria, grants from the Canada Arts Council and Saskatchewan Arts Board, and the Eastman School of Music Graduate Fellowship (1999–2005). In 2014, she received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching from the State University of New York and has repeatedly been named “Favorite Professor in the Theory/History Department” by SUNY Potsdam’s Emerging Leaders Program.
Michelle particularly enjoys collaborative performance and has accompanied numerous choirs and orchestras in major works such as Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem and various Bach cantatas. She has worked under the batons of world-renowned conductors including Maestro Duain Wolfe (Carnegie Hall, New York City), Hart Godden with the Regina Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra, Dr. Nils Klykken, Dr. Jeffrey Francom, and Mr. Kenneth Andrews of the Crane School of Music. She has also performed with the Elizabeth Clark Dance Ensemble and participated in events such as the Nadia Boulanger Symposium and Women in Music Festivals.
Michelle’s artistic focus centers on minimalist music—particularly the works of Philip Glass—and she has commissioned numerous new compositions for organ, both as a solo instrument and in collaboration with other instruments and technology.