Instrument: Lead Violin

BANDS
        

 

 

Instrumentalist, composer, GRAMMY® recording artist and educator Michelle Jones is a quadruple threat! Scores of stringed instruments come alive in her talented hands when performing on international stages as band leader to the string ensemble Violectric: Classic Musicians Who Rock. Audiences are electrified time and time again by her versatility of style and custom arrangements ranging from classical to heavy metal to rock ’n’ roll.

In a recent edition of Orlando Style Magazine, Georyana Santos said, “Combine a mix of Violuminescence™ lighted string instruments with individuals who play killer live musical hits, and you have yourself the string sensation, “Violectric.”

Jones’ accomplishments extend beyond creating Violectric.  Most recently, she was invited to be a special guest to perform with Wayne Newton in his resident show at Bally’s in Las Vegas in August of 2018.  In May 2017, she toured Japan through five cities on a sold-out solo tour, and is a regular guest at Comic-Con and national conventions. Her touring history also includes performances with Mannheim Steamroller, Page and Plant (Led Zeppelin), Pink Floyd, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Josh Groban, Fernando Varela, Michael Bolton, Peter Cetera and Chicago, Dennis DeYoung and Styx, The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson and Pet Sounds, Beyonce and Destiny’s Child, Anne Murray, Bernadette Peters, Sarah Brightman, Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, and many others. As an international recording artist, Jones has composed and recorded many albums and TV, film and video game soundtracks, plus advertisements.

Through Violectric, Inc., Jones created and established an Educational Program Series with interactive workshops and live concerts for students around the United States and Asia. Violectric Education Programs have included students from Full Sail University, Osceola County School for the Arts, Orange County Public Schools, Marion County Public Schools, BETA Center, and International Schools in China, to name a few.

Michelle presenting at Pecha Kucha Orlando

In her twenty-five years as an educator, Jones served as an Adjunct Professor of Music at Converse College, Professor of Violin Studies at Suzuki Institute of Maitland, Director of Music for Windermere Community Church Preschool, Music Instructor at Holy Family School, and Music Instructor at the Windermere Academy of Music. She also hosts master classes within the Central Florida public and private schools, and is frequently requested as a guest lecturer at many colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Another one of Jones’ endeavors is Strings Etc., a private studio providing music instruction for theory, arranging, and composition on various instruments, including violin, viola, piano and keyboards. She is proud to have been a certified facilitator of educational programs worldwide at the Walt Disney Company through the Youth Education Series and Disney’s English Language Programs.

Jones was honored with the President’s Volunteer Service Gold Award presented by the White House and Presidents Obama and Trump in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 (Bronze and Gold Awards) for her outstanding philanthropy and commitment to education. “It is always an honor and a privilege to share my passion for performing and teaching music with schools and charitable organizations,” she said after receiving her fourth award.

Jones is an active member of The Recording Academy (GRAMMYs), Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM), and Central Florida Musicians’ Association (CFMA). Michelle was an international delegate for the AFM, and served on several committees including the Diversity Committee and the International Musician Committee. With the CFMA, she has served on the Executive Board, Recording Committee, Diversity Committee, and the Youth Committee.

She has studied with several renowned instructors and has performed under the baton of many famous conductors including Richard Hayman and Keith Lockhart from the Boston Pops, Arnie Roth and Chip Davis from Mannheim Steamroller, Victor Borge, Marvin Hamlisch, Anton Coppola, and Barry Knight and Charles Ellis from the Mantovani Orchestra.

Jones attended Converse College for music and graduated from Rollins College with degrees in business and management.

Jones is currently band leader and lead violin for Violectric, Fretless Rock and Strings Etc., and serves as Director/Producer and Lead Educator of Violectric Education Programs.