Adult Masterclass: A@L Jazz Orchestra featuring Mike Sturgis

Join International Performer and Drummer Mike Sturgis for a one-time Masterclass at Arts @ Large.  If you are an aspiring drummer or just want to see a professional in action, join us for this free event!

As an educator, Mike has performed masterclasses internationally and has taught hundreds of students, many of whom have gone on to have successful careers in the music industry. In addition to teaching, he’s had extensive experience in the management of contemporary music education courses in England’s higher education sector. Following Mike’s tenure as Head of Education for DIME ONLINE in 2013-15, he was recruited as Head of Education at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, England where he stayed until 2018. Mike returned to the Detroit Institute in 2018 as Head of Education.

“This is going to show my age, but I remember a time when, as a very young boy learning to play the drums, one of my biggest treats was being allowed to stay up late and watch Buddy Rich on The Johnny Carson Show. It was so exciting and inspirational to get a glimpse of one of my idols; this was ramped up even further on those few occasions when I had the joy of seeing Buddy and his band live – truly a life-changing experience!”
~Mike Sturgis

“I’m not flattering him (Mike Sturgis) when I say that he is the man – quite simply my favourite drummer to play with…his groove is so big and fat and utterly there that is acts like a small planet, pulling your own notes into its centre through some sort of rhythmic gravity.”
~Pete Langman, Slender Threads

Special thanks to our long-time funding partner.