Michael Hernandez has been described as one of the leading soprano saxophone artists of his generation. His performances have captivated audiences in concert halls across Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, France, Holland, Austria, Italy, the UK as well as North and South America. Michael has been invited to hold residencies  at several music festivals throughout  the U.S. including  Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Music in the Mountains, Hot Springs Music Festival, National Music Festival, Ethos New Music Festival, The Festival of New American Music, the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra, Festival South and the Oklahoma State Contemporary Music Festival.

Recently Hernandez has appeared as guest soloist with the Brooklyn Symphony  Phoenix Symphony Guild, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, Redwood Symphony, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, Santa Cruz Symphony, The Hot Springs Festival Orchestra, The National Music Festival Orchestra, Echo Chamber Orchestra, The Monterey Symphony, San Jose Wind Symphony, and Colombia’s Banda Municipal de Manizales, among others.

He has been featured on WPRB’s Classical Discoveries - Viva 21st Century, WCNY Classic FM’s Fresh Ink, and WNED Buffalo Toronto Public Media’s Classical Stage, and has been broadcasted multiple times nationwide on NPR’s Performance Today. Additionally, Michael has been featured on albums from Mark's Records and Naxos Record labels. 

Recent highlights include guest performances  at BachFest in Leipzig (Germany), Balaton Saxophone Festival (Hungary), the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, Szczecin International Saxophone Festival (Poland), Utrecht Bartholomeus Gasthuis (Holland), the Cité de la Musique de Strasbourg (France), Hanns Eisner Musikhochshule (Germany), Ducal Castle (Poland), The SFJAZZ Center, San Francisco War Memorial, Roulette Intermedium (Brooklyn), Manhattan School of Music, SpectrumNYC, SoundWired Chicago,  Roche Family Visiting Artist Series (PA), Fairmont Chamber Music Society (WV), Berkeley Chamber Performances (CA), El Dorado Chamber Concerts (CA), Community Concerts at Second of Baltimore (MD), The Artist Series (FL), Jacksonville’s Friday Musicale (FL), Downtown Chamber Series (AZ), Music in the Mansion (CA) and countless others.

As the founding soprano chair of the acclaimed MANA Quartet, Michael made history in 2009 when MANA became the first saxophone quartet to win the Alice Coleman Grand Prize at the 63rd Annual Coleman Chamber Music Competition. He also earned First Prize in the National MTNA Chamber Music Competition in 2007 and the Beverly Hills National Audition in 2017.

Michael is the Co-Founder and owner of MANA Mouthpieces Inc., and frequently lectures on Music Entrepreneurship at colleges and festivals across the U.S. and Germany. An endorsing artist for MANA Mouthpieces, D'Addario Woodwinds, Key Leaves, RooPads, and Lefreque Sound Solutions, he performs on historical saxophones crafted to the specifications of the instrument’s inventor, Adolphe Sax. Currently, Michael serves as the Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Music Entrepreneurship at San Jose State University.