Michael R. Hampel studied with Olaf van Gonnissen, Luis Martin Diego and Eliot Fisk in Germany and Austria.

As a soloist and in chamber ensembles he performed in Europe, Asia and South America, including at festivals for contemporary music like the Munich Bienale, directed by Hans Werner Henze.

He founded the Open Source Guitars, a renowned innovative ensemble exploring new and experimental approaches for guitar(s) and analog/digital performance. The ensemble has an international concert schedule and collaborates with the IRCAM Paris, the GMEM Marseille and the ZKM Karlsruhe.

Currently Prof. Hampel is vice-director of the Musikhochschule Trossingen in Germany and head of the Guitar Department. He is also guest professor at the Department of Arts and Design of the Tongji University in Shanghai.