Chris Michell


Chris Michell aka née Hughes is an English flautist and composer of ambient-classic and New Age music; Dolphin Love album was an early example of the New Age genre, with dolphin, whale and sea sounds, intrinsic to the musical texture.

Early life and education

With Welsh, Scottish and Irish ancestry, Christine Margaret Hughes was born at Hampton, near Malpas, Cheshire, England. She attended the University of Liverpool and the Guildhall School of Music, London.

Career

Michell became sub-principal flute/piccolo with Welsh National Opera for five years ; free-lanced with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC, English National Ballet, Opera North, Manchester Camerata and Northern Ballet until 1986. Teaching included Royal College of Music, Junior Department, University of Lancaster, Putney High School for Girls, Royal School, Bath and Wells Cathedral School, Somerset.
Astarte Music Productions set up in 1989, was Michell’s own independent record label. Mark Vibrans produced her first album Song for Sophie 1989 for Astarte Music. Michell also started performing with Nigel Shaw at this time and developed the free improvisatory style that became their trademark, in the album Dreaming Pool 1990.
In 1991 she recorded Dolphin Love with Clifford White and Arnie Sage and this proved to be a popular album in UK, USA and Australia.
After performing at an International New Age Music Conference in Los Angeles in 1991, Michell was offered a record deal with World Discs, USA and later Northsound, USA ; record deals also with New World in Australia and Oreade Music, Netherlands.
In 1999, Michell recorded Tibetan Chakra Meditations with Ben Scott, giving a 5% Royalty from each album sold to the Tibet Relief Fund, London.
In 2001 she had a personal audience and performed for the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India. She presented him with her album Tibetan Freedom Chants, which was recorded with monk Ven.Bhagdro, to raise money and awareness for the Tibetan cause.
http://www.oreademusic.com

Discography

Album NameYearRecord Company
Song for Sophie1989Astarte Music Productions
Dreaming Pool 1990DPP/ Astarte Music Productions
Dolphin Love1991Astarte Music Productions, World Discs, Oreade Music and New World
Evening Light1992World Discs
Celestial Harmony1993Astarte Music Productions
Capricorn1993Oreade Music
Serenity 1994Astarte Music Productions and World Discs
Dreamtime Dolphin1996Oreade Music
Crystal Dolphin Meditations1996Astarte Music Productions
Summer Dreams1996Northsound Music
Isle of Avalon 1998Northsound Music
Dolphin Song 1998Oreade Music
Celtic Love 1999Delphi Music
Tibetan Chakra Meditations 1999Oreade Music
Dolphin Music for the Inner Child 2001Oreade Music
Tibetan Freedom Chants 2002Oreade Music
Ocean of Love2003Oreade Music
The Last Whale2006Oreade Music
Reflections2007Oreade Music

Michell also has released over a hundred tracks on compilation albums world-wide.
To View more information about Chris Michell, visit her on www.oreademusic.com