Michael H. Coelho
intermezzo orchestra
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Michael Coelho serves as Intermezzo Orchestra conductor and has led NMYO string ensembles since the 2012-2013 concert season. He is the Orchestra Director for Ipswich Middle & High Schools where he conducts six ensembles ranging from grades 6 through 12. Mr. Coelho is also on faculty at Longy School of Music of Bard College where he instructs advanced string pedagogy courses to graduate music education students. Synthesizing traditional orchestral performance with a modern approach, Coelho’s unique educational methods and conducting frequently lead his ensembles to statewide and national recognition.
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In 2017 Coelho’s Honors High School Chamber Orchestra was invited to perform Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony for Strings at Carnegie Hall to which they were expressly complimented by four of the country’s leading conductors; Frank Battisti, New England Conservatory; Craig Kirchhoff, Univ of MN; Robert Reynolds, Thornton School of Music at USC; and Charles Peltz, New England Conservatory.
“We often hear the pursuit of excellent teaching, but there were clearly things thought and done in the moment on the podium indicative of an exceptional musician,” says Charles Peltz.
At the core of Mr. Coelho’s artistry is a philosophy rooted in the power of music as a source of strength and healing. Last year his chamber orchestra students collaborated with Massachusetts General Hospital and the Voices of Hope adult choir for a fundraising gala video that helped raise over 1.1 million in support of the Cancer Center's most urgent clinical and research priorities. In 2012, Coelho founded the non-profit organization Concert for Hope, Inc. dedicated to promoting disease awareness and support through the production of annual concerts by an all-volunteer ensemble. The orchestra comprised amateur and professional musicians from across New England and has raised over $10,000 for charities like the Breast Cancer Institute of America, and the FLY Foundation.
In 2020, Mr. Coelho was recognized for outstanding teaching during COVID-19 by the Boston Globe’s Fenway Bowl Honor Roll, and in 2022 he was one of ten national finalists for the Music Educator of the Year Award by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum.
Mr. Coelho is often seen as adjudicator, manager and conductor for Massachusetts district festivals, for which he has been a member and volunteer for over ten years. In 2018 Coelho had the honor of serving as the first conducting fellow for the Cape Ann Symphony, a professional regional orchestra located in Northeastern Massachusetts where he conducted alongside maestro Yoichi Udagawa and lead the pre-concert lecture series. He has also had the honor of conducting the SEMSBA, Southeastern School Bandmasters Association, Senior Orchestra twice and conducted both the Southeastern Massachusetts Junior District Orchestra and Central Massachusetts Junior District Orchestras in 2019. Mr. Coelho was appointed conductor for the Eastern Massachusetts Junior District Orchestra in 2020 (postponed due to COVID-19). This year he served as the 2022 Assistant Manager of the Massachusetts All State Orchestra.
In addition to teaching, conducting, and arranging, Mr. Coelho enjoys an active freelance career in both violin and viola. He has performed for notable artists including the Hanson Brothers, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Sarah Brightman, and Josh Groban throughout the east coast and has performed at venues such as Boston Symphony Hall, Tanglewood's Seiji Ozawa Hall, and New York City's Radio City Music Hall.
“We often hear the pursuit of excellent teaching, but there were clearly things thought and done in the moment on the podium indicative of an exceptional musician,” says Charles Peltz.
At the core of Mr. Coelho’s artistry is a philosophy rooted in the power of music as a source of strength and healing. Last year his chamber orchestra students collaborated with Massachusetts General Hospital and the Voices of Hope adult choir for a fundraising gala video that helped raise over 1.1 million in support of the Cancer Center's most urgent clinical and research priorities. In 2012, Coelho founded the non-profit organization Concert for Hope, Inc. dedicated to promoting disease awareness and support through the production of annual concerts by an all-volunteer ensemble. The orchestra comprised amateur and professional musicians from across New England and has raised over $10,000 for charities like the Breast Cancer Institute of America, and the FLY Foundation.
In 2020, Mr. Coelho was recognized for outstanding teaching during COVID-19 by the Boston Globe’s Fenway Bowl Honor Roll, and in 2022 he was one of ten national finalists for the Music Educator of the Year Award by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum.
Mr. Coelho is often seen as adjudicator, manager and conductor for Massachusetts district festivals, for which he has been a member and volunteer for over ten years. In 2018 Coelho had the honor of serving as the first conducting fellow for the Cape Ann Symphony, a professional regional orchestra located in Northeastern Massachusetts where he conducted alongside maestro Yoichi Udagawa and lead the pre-concert lecture series. He has also had the honor of conducting the SEMSBA, Southeastern School Bandmasters Association, Senior Orchestra twice and conducted both the Southeastern Massachusetts Junior District Orchestra and Central Massachusetts Junior District Orchestras in 2019. Mr. Coelho was appointed conductor for the Eastern Massachusetts Junior District Orchestra in 2020 (postponed due to COVID-19). This year he served as the 2022 Assistant Manager of the Massachusetts All State Orchestra.
In addition to teaching, conducting, and arranging, Mr. Coelho enjoys an active freelance career in both violin and viola. He has performed for notable artists including the Hanson Brothers, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Sarah Brightman, and Josh Groban throughout the east coast and has performed at venues such as Boston Symphony Hall, Tanglewood's Seiji Ozawa Hall, and New York City's Radio City Music Hall.
