MICHAEL KONTRAS has appeared on national and local television, toured with Jesus Christ - Superstar and performed in 26 states. He is an excellent vocalist and keyboardist whose one man show is second to none. In addition, Michael is a superb composer and has recently released his first all-original, all-instrumental CD. This CD has been written about in many publications with good reviews. He has also released a second CD which is a live recording of his one man show. It has also received much attention.  Michael  Kontras was born in Columbus, Ohio in the 1950's. He studied piano during his junior high and high school years receiving "Superior" and "Excellent" ratings at state competitions. "I loved playing the piano..." Kontras says, "...but I hated the practicing." Kontras studied the classics through most of his adolescent and teenage years.   In 1965, Kontras became interested in being a member of a rock 'n' roll band. His first attempt at putting a band together only lasted one gig. "My God, we were terrible" he remembers. "We had a drummer, an electric guitarist, a lead vocalist and no bass guitarist. I played a 12 string acoustic guitar with an electronic pick-up. I couldn't afford a keyboard and since I knew the basic chords on a guitar, I figured this was the easiest way to get a band going."   It wasn't long before Kontras decided to save his money and purchase his first keyboard. "Buying that first keyboard was the smartest move I ever made" Kontras says, thinking back. "I quickly was asked to join a well-established group and they loved having a keyboardist who could also add some vocal strength."   From the late 1960's through the early 1980's, Kontras formed and played in several bands, touring the midwest extensively. There was a small departure from being in bands in 1971 when he joined the National Rock Opera's Jesus Christ - Superstar Tour as a sound and lighting technician "Both keyboard spots had been filled but I knew the sound engineer and he managed to get me on the tour" says Kontras. "The experience was immeasurable. The knowledge I gained from working that tour for 6 months helped me immensely when I went back to putting bands together."      From the mid 1980's through the mid 1990's, Kontras found himself needing to downsize his act in order to stay working in the business. "MTV and DJs changed the club business forever back in the 80's. Being a duo or a solo act is the only way to survive in the business. As much as I love playing in a full band, I have to 'pay the rent' and I can't make enough money to do that being in a four or five piece group." Kontras worked in a couple of different duo acts before going solo in 1995.     Kontras' decision to become a solo act was one that would require a lot of work in his recording studio. He wanted the sound of a full band. "I had no desire to be a piano player/vocalist gigging in some restaurant during dinner hours." Recording all of his own tracks was the best way to acquire the exact sound he wanted. "With today's technology, becoming a one man show with the sound of a full band was a natural for me. I had honed my musical and technical talents over the past 25 years and it was time to put them to good use."   After forty years of performing live full time, Michael Kontras is now playing music part time and also operates