
Bio
Michael Thorn
Michael scored the documentary 'Daughters of the Soil', directed by Thabo Bopape, and the drama short 'Janneman' (IMDb) which is on Showmax. As a lifelong student of music, Michael has also taught at AFDA, South Africa's leading film school for over ten years. He has a performer's licentiate in classical piano and a bachelor of music specializing in jazz piano, with over fifteen years of experience teaching West African jembe drumming ensemble, and a masters degree in ethnomusicology. In January 2024 he completed a masters degree in professional media composition. At this rate, he probably won't stop. For years he performed with West African jembe virtuosos in and around Cape Town, where he is based. His masters research gave birth to a novel transcription system for West African drumming, and his band Cascade was a testing ground for original music influenced by improvisation, and a penchant for strange time signatures.
"When I grappled with the narrative structure and distilling the essence of what story my film is looking to tell, Michael invested himself in helping me work out and identify clearly what choices lay before me". - Thabo Bopape ('Daughters of the Soil')
CV