Michael Torke’s music has been called "some of the most optimistic, joyful and thoroughly uplifting music to appear in recent years" (Gramophone).
Michael’s music has been commissioned by such Orchestras as The Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the San Francisco Symphony; by such ballet companies as New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey, and the National Ballet of Canada; by such opera companies as the Metropolitan Opera, Théâtre du Châtelet, and the English National Opera; by such large ensembles as the London Sinfonietta, Lontano, and De Volharding; and such small ensembles as the Smith, Ying, and Amstel Quartets.
He has worked with conductors including Simon Rattle, Kurt Mazur, Edo de Waart, and David Zinman; choreographers, Christopher Wheeldon, James Kudelka, and Juri Kilian; and librettists as A. R. Gurney, Michael Korie, and Mark Campbell; and such directors as Des McAnuff, Bart Sher, and Michael Greif.