A love of singing has always been part of life for Michael, who began his career performing with a number of choirs, starting with the Australian Boys Choral Institute at the age of eight. He followed this with stints performing with groups including the National Youth Choir of Australia, the Adelaide Chamber Singers, and The Consort of Melbourne before studying at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (where he was part of an award-winning vocal quartet) and moving into opera. He has performed in a range of productions with the Victorian Opera Chorus, including Nixon in China, La Traviata, and I Pagliacci, and was part of the company’s ANZAC centenary production, Remembrance.