In a performing and recording career of more than two decades, guitarist and composer Michael DeLalla has brought his delicious brew of traditional influences and classical, jazz, Celtic and folk stylings into the forefront of acoustic music. Beginning in the '80s as the driving force behind Philo/Fretless recording artists Oxymora, the seminal group that Tom Cole of National Public Radio called "the cutting edge of New Acoustic Music", Michael has forged a distinguished and storied career on stage and studio from his fluency on Classical, 12-string, and steel-string acoustic guitar and memorable performances that showcase gifted improvisation and dazzling technical facility that never sacrifices the richness and poignancy of his compositions.

Michael performs as a solo artist and as a member of the acclaimed traditional Celtic trio The Unfortunate Rakes. His solo concerts feature his original compositions and arrangements of traditional tunes that showcase his particular virtuosity, punctuated by his wry, sometimes irreverent observations of the experiences that are behind the pieces. The result is not just a collection of instrumental works, but also a narrative of his travels and travails found in his varied musical habitats, from a capella singing in Breton Gaelic to tweaking the nose of the Classical world with his raucous "Piece for Steel Drum (if I played Steel Drum)".

Michael's performance resume includes a variety of concert and festival settings, including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Walnut Valley Guitar Festival, the Potomac and Erie Celtic Festivals, the Piedmont Guitar Society, the Bodles Opera House, and the nationally syndicated Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour. In addition to concert, festival and house concert appearances both here and abroad he has been commissioned for several works, and leads workshops ranging from techniques in arranging to improvisation and extended guitar technique. Michael has also spent over a decade on the faculty of Shenandoah Conservatory in addition to his demanding workshop, studio and performance calendar.

Michael's distinguished discography includes three solo recordings, including There Is One Story And One Story Only, a Winter Holiday release, and his most recent CD Soli, heralded by the All Music Guide as "gorgeously intricate solo guitar compositions... transcends traditional notions of the guitar with profoundly beautiful arrangements...music of the most exquisite order." He has also released two recordings with The Unfortunate Rakes, and has appeared as a guest artist on over two dozen recordings in both the traditional and contemporary acoustic music worlds. His music has recently been included in soundtracks to programs on both Showtime and the Discovery Channel.

Michael enjoys an artist endorsement with Elixir Strings. Michael and writer Dominick Miserandino discuss his approach to guitar, composition, and a wealth of other topics in an on-line interview at thecelebritycafe.com.

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