As a tenor saxophonist, Ed Michaels regularly performs with the top musicians of Northeast Ohio, among them some of his former students. He has recorded a CD, entitled Going Beyond on the Nice Jazz Label. Ed has performed with Phil Woods; Donald Byrd; Pacquito D’Rivera; Bobby Sanabria; and Clarence Cleamons. His quartet has played extended engagements at the Century Room of Cleveland’s prestigious Ritz-Carlton Hotel, the Grille Room of downtown Cleveland’s Embassy Suites Hotel, Cleveland’s Fat Fish Blue, Club Isabella, The Cleveland Museum of Art Summer Concert Series, and Cleveland State University Sundown Jazz Concerts.

Currently, Ed is the director of Jazz Impact, an honors jazz ensemble of area high school musicians sponsored by Lakeland Community College. The band has earned recognition through yearly outstanding performances at the Lakeland Jazz Festival, the Tri-C Jazz Fest, and the Essentially Ellington Contest sponsored by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.

Ed has been the Festival Director and Educational Co-Director of the annual Lakeland Jazz Festival (1999-2008). Building on the past success of the festival, Ed’s innovation was the addition of the Thursday night concert: “Tomorrow’s Stars”, which featured the top area middle school bands.

Mr. Michaels is also on the faculty of the Willoughby-Eastlake School District where he teaches instrumental music. One of his achievements was receiving an honorarium and publication from the Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his lesson plan “Timbre: Identifying the Tone Color of the Saxophone Using Pop/Rock Music Examples.” Ed was also instrumental is helping his school district receive a grant from the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.