Michael Lawrence Manion, age 60 of Grand Rapids, passed away Thursday, August 30, 2012. He was preceded in death by his father, Sgt. Major Harry Manion. He is survived by his mother, Floy Manion; brother, Mark Manion; aunts and uncles, Joyce (Roger) Hintz, Gloria (Howard) Lacourse, Marjorie Anderson; nieces and nephews. While he was in high school he performed as a percussionist with the Grand Rapids Symphony. Michael was a composer of mostly chamber and electro acoustic works that have been performed throughout Europe and the United States. He was an active percussionist. Michael studied composition with Randolph Coleman, Dary John Mizelle and Gary Lee Nelson at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music from 1974 to 1977, where he earned his Masters of Music degree. He also attended seminars with Robert Ashley at Mills College Centre for Contemporary Music in 1977 and 1978 and with Marcio Kagel at the Musikhochschute in Koln from 1980 to 1981. From 1985 to 1988 he studied composition with Jonathan Harvey at the University of Sussex. He is a former assistant to Karlheinz Stockhausen. In 1986 Michael co-founded GIMIK: Initiative Musik and Informatik Koln. Michael, a former percussionist in several American jazz bands, new music ensembles, orchestras and rock groups, performed solo live electronic percussion at the end of his professional career. The Feedback Studio Verlag in Cologne, Germany publishes his music compositions. Visitation will be Tuesday 2-4 and 6-8 PM at the O’Brien-Eggebeen-Gerst Chapel, 3980 Cascade Rd. SE.
