Michael Kollwitz and his family traded a Brooklyn, NY, brownstone apartment for sunny southern California at five years old. Michael was interested in music early in life and played the trumpet for ten years in school bands.
Fresh out of high school, in 1976, Kollwitz met inventor Emmett Chapman who introduced him to the innovative new stringed instrument that Chapman called “The Stick.” Intrigued by The Stick’s possibilities, he became one of Chapman’s lifelong friends and first proteges.
During the 80s and 90s, alongside his music, Kollwitz had a career in the communications industry as a salesperson. He trained with a mentor and eventually broke sales records with several companies.
Due to a downturn in the telecom sector, Michael went full-time with his music in 2003. Without a label, agent, or manager, he self-booked hundreds of corporate events, festivals, fairs, and weddings. Over the next twenty years, he amassed over thirty independent releases, making him one of The Stick’s strongest advocates and most prolific recording artists.
Breaking new ground with a trilogy of peaceful Serenity albums beginning in 2017, he gained listeners worldwide and made the Billboard charts. His soothing compositions can be heard daily on airlines, in spas, and in 1200 hospitals worldwide on the CARE Channel.
In 2023, he published the book, Stick With It- Adventures of a Chapman Stick Player to chronicle the early years of The Stick and his lifelong friendship with the late Emmett Chapman.
A winner of multiple arts grants that helped expand his career, Kollwitz became a keynote speaker – blending music and humor to share his message of tapping into personal creativity and achieving one’s dreams through persistence. He is an active member of the National Speaker Association, a private pilot, and an amateur radio operator. A husband and father of two, he resides in the red rock country of Sedona, Arizona.
“BEST OF SERENITY” BY MICHAEL KOLLWITZ
Would you like to experience serenity right now? Immerse yourself in fifteen professionally re-mastered tracks from the award-winning and Billboard-charting “Serenity” series trilogy by Michael Kollwitz. The Chapman Stick’s versatile and incomparable range is now even more pronounced with the sparkly new highs, low bass, and crisp mid-range, providing an enhanced listening experience compared to the original tracks. You’ll be delighted by the exceptional sound quality. This album is available digitally only and there are no physical CDs.
Some of THE most relaxing, tranquil music you will ever hear, “Best of Serenity” is an outstanding “must-have” collection of soul-soothing instrumentals that will stay with you long after the music stops. One hour of ultimate calm. – Dyan Garris, ZMR, Retailing Insight Magazine, Sedonal Journal, and New Age Notes Radio
YOU CAN READ OUR ALBUM REVIEW HERE
