Born in Haifa, Israel, weaned on jazz (thanks to his father, a boxing referee and jazz enthusiast, friend of Louis Armstrong), and raised in Tel Aviv, music called Misha from an early age. Yet, it wasn't until after his compulsory military service that he got his first piano and the opportunity to pursue music in earnest.
After studying music with Israel's foremost composers—Paul Ben-Haim, Noam Sherrif and Isaac Sadai—as well as film and philosophy at Tel Aviv University, Misha apprenticed under 20th century master composer Dieter Schöhnbach in Germany; studied composition and conducting at the Guildhall School of music in London; then graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Starting out, Misha was especially influenced by jazz, Elton John and The Beatles. His interpretation and application of these and other western music influences to the Israeli cultural scene—as arranger, composer, songwriter, producer and recording artist—was vital in the redefinition of popular, theatre and film music, garnering numerous #1 hits. Furthermore, his classically-styled compositions were performed by the Israel Philharmonic and the Israel Chamber Ensemble. All this occurred over a very short 5 years, yet the impact was so great, Misha is considered one of the leading figures in Israeli culture today. He continues to do projects in Israel, working with new and established artists as well as in theatre.
Misha also enjoyed a successful career in New York, writing, arranging, orchestrating and producing for such artists as Luther Vandross, Maynard Ferguson, Phyllis Hyman and Dave Grusin.
Upon moving to Los Angeles, he signed with Motown as a composer/songwriter, writing for their artists and scoring Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon .
Misha has created, composed and conducted scores in many different styles for a variety of feature films including The Phantom of the Opera, which received wide critical acclaim for its originality and scope as well as the all time favorite kids' movie, The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking. Also to his credit are numerous works for the small screen, which earned him an Emmy award and an Emmy nomination. His work with up-and-coming film directors has encompassed everything from short films (Paul Ratner's King and Angel in the Rain featuring music available on Misha's Female CD) to the feature-length Un Secreto de Esperanza, Mexican diva Katy Jurado's last movie.
As a recording artist, Misha's first CD, Zambooka, was endorsed by Quincy Jones and Bob James and featured legendary artists Chick Corea and Freddy Hubbard. His next CD, Connected to the Unexpected, was picked up by over 200 college stations and enjoyed heavy rotation on the top NAC stations across the country. Don't Say It's Over, produced and co-written by Misha, features vocalist Randy Crawford. This CD spent three weeks at No. 1 on the NAC charts.
'Female' is Volume I of a 3-CD piano solo collection of mostly improvised original music and cherished, familiar love songs. The style is described by fans as a cross between Chopin's Nocturnes and a laid back Keith Jarrett. 'Female' is the core of Misha's Beauty Found in Unlikely Places concert series. The concerts and the music were inspired by his mother, a woman with an unbreakable spirit who died after a 6-year battle with lung cancer on Mother's Day 2001. Through these concerts, associated media interviews and Public Service Announcements, he forwards his mission of educating the public on lung cancer awareness issues and raising the quality of life of those fighting the biggest battle of theirs.
When Misha isn't making music, he's listening to it while cooking up a storm and sampling fine wines from around the world. He also enjoys flying single engine planes.
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