The Dad.

By the time Mike was 4, he made his first TV appearance in Scotland Singing his heart out while wearing his Royal Stewart Tartan Kilt! He was a regular competitor at Butlins Holiday Camp in Ayrshire, Scotland where he won 9 straight years in a row! Mike was back on TV by the time he was 9 for Hughie Green’s “Opportunity Knocks’ which was the British ‘American Idol’. Mike was runner up. This time, playing drums and singing!

As a child, he played leading roles on stage such as “Amahl” in “Amahl and the night visitors”: “Ariel” in “The Tempest”; “Puck” in “A Midnights Summer Dream”, “Nicely Nicely Johnson” in “Guys and Dolls”; “Herbie” in “Gypsy” and many more. Mike was also a trained Scottish Highland Dancer dancing at competitions throughout Scotland swooping up several 1st place awards!

He would travel all over Scotland performing ‘Sir Harry Lauder’ classics such as ‘Roamin’ in the Gloamin’, ‘I love a lassie’ and many more. Mike’s travels would also take him throughout Europe performing for several groups as well as his own Ensembles. Countries such as France, Grease, Morocco, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria to name just a few.

He played drums and sang in his parents Scottish Country Dance band “The Michael Urquhart Sound” from age 9 through his early 20’s but, after College, Mike landed the Head of Music and Drama position at the American International School in the NE of Scotland. It was there he produced and directed such shows as “Grease” and Marvin Hamlisch’s “They’re Playing Our Song”.

In the evenings, Mike, as Musical Director would conduct orchestras at His Majesty’s Theatre (from behind a drum kit!) for great musicals such as “Guys and Dolls”, “Gypsy” “Grease”, “Damn Yankees” “Andy Capp’ and many more along with several Christmas Pantomimes at the Arts Center Theatre but, there were 2 highlights of his career in the U.K. He had the great fortune of performing at London’s Royal Albert Hall for Grampian Regional Percussion Ensemble followed by a return visit to conduct his very own Percussion Ensemble at BBC TV’s School Proms to a sold out audience at the Royal Albert Hall!

Since coming to the States, he has played percussion on Broadway for “The Secret Garden” and “The City of Angels” and Managed the growth of the Piano Industry’s Manufacturers such as Roland and Yamaha Corporation throughout the United States both as a National Concert Artist, product specialist and a senior account business manager winning every single major award at both companies, one of which was presented by the late founder of Roland Corporation, Mr. Ikutaro Kakehashi. The Piano Industry has taken Mike to countries such as Japan, China and Thailand. Mike also built a music school with student enrollment hitting 1600 students per week at its peek studying Piano, Drums, Vocal and Guitar as well as an extremely successful, always 100% sold out, Open Mic Café. It was during these years Mike wrote, produced and published his Global Group Piano Curriculum, a lifetime body of work - "MAGICAL MINUTES PIANO ADVENTURES!" Today, Mike is president of that company and with his daughter, now in business with him, right by his side, they star together in their live stage Musical Showcase “Together We’ll Be Okay". A true story of their life’s journey, together.