The primary objective of Michael Gerard Management Group is to promote the live music experience to all members of the community through education and outreach programs, masterclasses, workshops, live performances and other music-related activities. This objective is realized through a small group of select professional musicians with recognized pedagogical and performance skills that permit them to communicate effectively with audiences of every age group and musical background. Because MGMG restricts service to a small group of artists, personal and prompt attention is not only possible, but guaranteed.
Michael Dufresne – Founder and President, MGMG
Michael Dufresne –scientist, professor, musician and manager- was born in Callander, Ontario and began studying piano at the age of 5 and violin at the age of 12. After secondary school he entered York University in Toronto where he obtained an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. During his undergraduate years, Michael continued to study piano with Margaret Parsons at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. After receiving his B.Sc. degree, he was accepted directly into the Ph.D. programme at the University of Alberta where he obtained his doctorate in Biochemistry. While completing his doctoral studies, Michael taught piano and continued his studies in piano performance with Vera Sheen.
In 1974 Michael began two years of post-doctoral studies as a Medical Research Council of Canada Post-doctoral Fellow at the University of Western Ontario. Then at the age of 27 he accepted a research and teaching faculty position in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Windsor. During his tenure at the University of Windsor Michael continued to study piano, first with Gregory Butler then with Philip Adamson. He also directed a regional choir and became an active member of the Board of Directors of the Windsor Symphony where he served on the artistic planning, and education and community outreach committees. It was during this time that Michael realized his commitment to the live music experience and to the artists who made this experience possible. Such was this commitment that in 2003, after a 27-year career as a highly successful and respected researcher and professor, he took early retirement from academia and founded Michael Gerard Management Group.
Although Michael remains active in research and serves as a consultant for International Care Consultants, his primary focus is the artists served by MGMG. Indeed, not only does he work tirelessly to secure performance engagements for MGMG artists, he also makes a point of attending as many of their concerts as possible –not through obligation, but because of his love for live music and his strong belief that everyone should experience live music as often as possible.