Pianist and vocal coach Michael Banwarth joins the music staff of Houston Grand Opera for the 2026-2027 season. He also returns for guest appointments at Lyric Opera of Chicago where he recently completed three years as the ensemble pianist for the Ryan Opera Center. During his tenure with the program he served as Assistant Conductor for productions of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci, Blue (Tesori) and Champion (Blanchard).

With a particular passion for art song and recital repertoire, Michael has appeared in the Carnegie Hall Citywide series, The Florentine Opera’s Al Fresco series,  and Classical Music Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts. He joins the music staff at the Internationale Meistersinger Akademie in Neumarkt, Germany for the second time this summer.

Also an avid performer of crossover repertoire, musical theatre, and American standards, his arrangements have been heard at venues including the Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park, and on WFMT 98.7FM.

Michael holds a M.M. in collaborative piano from the New England Conservatory of Music where he studied with Cameron Stowe and Vivian Hornik Weilerstein. He completed a B.M. in piano performance at Iowa State University, studying under Mei-Hsuan Huang.