Michael Staff was born May 30, 1983 and has written several hundred works. As a concert pianist, most of his works are for piano, but a number are for chamber and orchestra ensembles. A large amount of his studies have been centered around counterpoint and advances in harmony, particularly those made by Scriabin and Schoenberg. Michael is synesthetic, meaning he 'sees' color when music is heard, so his music is very rich in harmonic color. His works have been performed publicly and several works in particular have received attention, his 2003 piano work Dreams of a Somnambulist, and his 2007 experimental work Crystal Prism.