Irvine Valley College (IVC) alumna Michelle Packman has carved out a unique niche for herself in the ultra-competitive music industry.
The Laguna Hills native is now a Grammy-nominated string producer, composer and arranger – and has composed and recorded strings for over 300 artists.
An accomplished cellist, she also plays the violin and viola and owns and operates Bow & Aero, a string arranging, recording and production company. Her musical journey began at IVC’s music program, where she earned an associate’s degree in performing arts and communication. “IVC was a great experience, with an amazing faculty. I felt like I always got excellent attention, guidance and advice there.”
Her tenure at IVC, she says, gave her a firm foundation for the rest of her musical education, which included earning a bachelor of music degree in cello performance from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at Cal State Long Beach and a post graduate professional artist diploma in contemporary writing and production from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston.
After completing her studies at Berklee, she landed a series of high-profile gigs, appearing on the Ellen, Jimmy Fallon and James Cordon shows as well as the American Music Awards with famed musicians including Miley Cyrus, Eminem and Olivia Rodrigo.
Most recently, she performed on a Telos, an album by Zedd nominated for a Grammy in the Best Dance/Electronic Album category. The Grammy nod was sudden and not anticipated, she says. “You never know what will resonate, this was a completely unexpected but welcome surprise.”
Her goal for the future? “I’m really trying to break into music for television and movies and am currently a contender to provide music for Brigerton Season 4.”
In her limited downtime, Michelle enjoys gardening, journaling and meditating. “The music industry can be tough,” she says. “So I try and find time for myself and lead a healthy lifestyle.”