Huge notes drawn on butcher paper lined the first walls that Michi remembers. Inside her first violin case, a comb would fill the entire cavity.

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Michi played violin before anything else, studying longest with her mother, Sujoy Spencer. Later, she studied with Dr. William Magers at Arizona State and Boro Martinic at the Phoenix Symphony.

Early on, Michi's favorite places to play included: the Mesa Amphitheatre, Gammage Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, Koussevitsky Shed, and a cabin by the water in Sweden, Maine.

Over 17 years of training; the usual round of competitions, symphonies, and scholarships sent her to the Tanglewood Institute....but in the meantime, Michi learned to spin, weave, and busk on the streets of Renaissance festivals. The romance of reenactment kept Michi fiddling through her college years, co-founding "Knot Sisters" and later "The Bringers."

Always jamming with other bands between shows, Michi began working in the studio with groups such as "Volgemut," "Three Pints Gone," and "The Muses." She was inspired to record her own CD, Curved Space. in 2002.

A solo performer now, Michi acts as a musical ambassador, bringing stories and music back from her travels to folk at home.

In 2003, Michi made her way to Ukraine. At first, she was looking for gypsies. Not finding any, she came home with other treasures; an education in folklore and a passion for Ukraine. Michi's next project, "Tales from the Fiddle Tree," due out in November 2006, came from this adventure and was first performed in the L'viv Philharmonic.

In 2004, Michi packed up her car and drove to Mexico, where the orphans of "Casa de Elisabet" were starting to learn violin. She became such a part of the family, even bringing her mom down for Christmas, that now they return with donations whenever possible.

Fresh from a year in Denver at Swallow Hill Music Association, Michi now lives in Chicagoland. You can find her teaching at Lake County Music or watch her schedule for shows anywhere.