Michael J. Schumacher has worked with spatialized sound, computers, and electronics since the 1980s, creating multi-channel, generative "Room Pieces" presented in galleries, museums, concert halls, and public and private spaces. XI Records has published a DVD set of five sound installations as computer applications, playable on up to eight speakers, which may be installed on a computer to create sound environments in the home. “Living Room Pieces” is another generative installation designed for home listening; in 2021 Schumacher created an edition of 10 for Raspberry Pi. “The Portable Multi-channel Sound System” is an 8 or 12 channel system that fits in a suitcase, with which he has toured Europe and the United States.
He studied music composition with Stanley Applebaum, Bernhard Heiden, John Eaton, and Vincent Persichetti and piano with Seymour Bernstein, John Ogdon, and Shigeo Neriki. He has degrees from Indiana University and Juilliard. He's also worked with La Monte Young, Giampaolo Bracali, and Milton Babbit and collaborated with choreographers, poets, architects, musicians, and filmmakers including Oren Ambarchi, Bruce Andrews, Tom Chiu, Charles Curtis, Liz Gerring, Ken Jacobs, Victoria Meyers, Ursula Scherrer, and Stephen Vitiello.