Bio
Michael Hanna is an eclectic performer and educator based in Northwest Arkansas. He serves on faculty at the University of Arkansas as Adjunct Lecturer of Jazz Saxophone.
A versatile woodwind doubler, Michael has performed on national Broadway tours including Mean Girls, Company, Tina, Funny Girl, Back to the Future, and MJ the Musical at the Walton Arts Center, as well as Matilda, It Came from Outer Space, The Band’s Visit, and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder at TheatreSquared. He regularly performs with the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas and has also appeared with the Fort Smith Symphony, Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra, Tulsa Symphony, and the Fayetteville Jazz Collective. In addition to his orchestral and theater work, Michael is equally at home in clubs, restaurants, festivals, and other venues, performing with jazz groups, cover bands, and a wide range of commercial ensembles. He appears as lead alto saxophonist on Jake Hertzog: Ozark Concerto (Zoho Records).
Michael works with students throughout the greater Northwest Arkansas area through the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas Mentors program. He teaches private lessons in Bentonville through the Arkansas Music Conservatory.
He holds a Master of Music in Saxophone Performance from Central Michigan University, where he studied with Professor John Nichol, taught undergraduate lessons, coached nationally competitive quartets, and taught beginning saxophone for music education majors. He earned his Bachelor of Music, summa cum laude, from the University of Arkansas, studying with Stanley Morris.
