Michael Pignéguy is a Perth-based composer, arranger and performer whose work moves fluidly across jazz,
orchestral and world music. A drummer and pianist by training, he spent more than a decade living in the
Middle East, an experience that shaped much of his musical language and gave rise to an early
configuration of what would become The Awakenings Ensemble. In the years since, his own projects and
orchestral commissions have taken him across four continents, with performances in the United States,
Italy, Australia, several African nations, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and New
Zealand.
The Awakenings Ensemble, founded in 2011, is Michael's most active project and current centrepiece.
Bringing together five musicians — Australian, Lebanese and Iranian — the ensemble performs Tales from
the Orient, a narrative-driven show moving from Istanbul through the Middle East and Persia and back to
Australia, weaving traditional instruments such as the ney, oud and daff into a contemporary jazz
framework. The ensemble has performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York and across Australia, and in
2023 presented multiple sold-out nights at The Esplanade — Theatres on the Bay in Singapore. In 2026 the
ensemble completed a sold-out Asian tour, playing to full houses in Beijing and Shanghai, a sold-out show
in Hong Kong, two sold-out nights in Singapore, and a Taipei performance rounding out the run. The tour
drew coverage from China's state broadcaster CGTN and an endorsement from the Australian Embassy in
Beijing, and the group is currently mixing a live recording from JZ Club Shanghai for future release.
As The West Australian described it on the ensemble's return, the group forges "an eclectic yet unified
sound that is neither pastiche nor jam" — a dialectic Michael attributes to "a surprising amount of
common chordal language between jazz and many of the great vocal songs of the Arab and Oriental canon."
Michael also leads the Michael Pignéguy Sextet, a fixture of the West Australian jazz scene since the
late 1990s, and Zarapito, an electro-acoustic trio with Brodie Stewart and Joe Powell exploring the
collision of amplified and acoustic sound.
Alongside his own projects, Michael balances a steady stream of orchestral commissions. His arrangements
have been performed by the Boston Pops, Nashville, Houston, Philadelphia Chamber, Fort Wayne Philharmonic
and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras in the United States, as well as every Australian state orchestra, and
he is principal arranger and artistic director of the Jazz Meets Mozart project. His collaborators span
the globe and include Michel Legrand (France), Ben Folds (USA), Kate Ceberano (Australia), Ziad Rahbani
(Lebanon) and Dominick Farinacci (USA), along with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra and the Western
Australian Symphony Orchestra, among many others.
In 2026 Michael was invited to speak at TEDxPerth's "Ideas for Living" Salon, presenting "What Is the
Soundtrack of Your Life?" — a talk exploring how music can be used deliberately to shape everyday
experience.
Michael continues to produce and co-produce albums under his own name and through his various projects.
His music is available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Bandcamp and other major platforms.
