[4] Colina studied composition at the North Carolina School of the Arts with Vittorio Giannini, Louis Mennini (brother of composer Peter Mennin) and Robert Ward.

[4] His first project as an engineer was to work on The Art of the Theremin, the first official album by Clara Rockmore, produced by synthesizer icon Robert Moog, and released in 1977 by Delos International.

[8] Colina followed his Carnegie Hall debut with a flurry of new works in 2007, among them: "Shadow of Urbano," written for the Quartet San Francisco and jazz pianist Bob James; "Notturno for Violin and Piano," and "Der Golem," performed by Grammy-nominated violinist Anastasia Khitruk.

Canto for orchestra; Conducted by Robert Vodnoy (Premiered Siena, Italy, June 1970) Mass for orchestra, chorus and soprano solo; Conducted by Robert Ward (Premiered 1970) Incidental Music for "A Midsummer Night's Dream," NCSA Production, Directed by Barry Boys (1970) "The Cave," a ballet score for orchestra (1970) "The People," for full orchestra commissioned by Richard Kuch and the Boston Ballet (1972) "You'll Never See Another Butterfly," a ballet score commissioned by Sophie Maslow (1972) Incidental Music to "Anthony and Cleopatra," commissioned by New York Shakespeare Theater (1973) Four Songs to poems of Dylan Thomas (1973) "Notturno," a piano solo (1974) Meditation for four cellos (1975) "A Time of Crickets," a ballet score for Pauline Koner supported by National Endowment for the Arts and the Mary Biddle Duke Foundation (1976)[10] Elegy for string ensemble (1976) "7 Days in December," for woodwind trio (1983) Piano Concertino (2001) • "Allegro" • "Andante con Mosso" • "Presto Scherzando" Sestina Mutations for piano (2002) • "Sestina Mutations" • "Dream of Peace" • "Toccata" "Margaret's Oriental Fragments" for Soprano & Wind Quintet (2004) • "Love's Secret" • "Spring & Fall" • "I Spoke to Thee" "Disturbing the Silence" for string quartet recorded by the Sybarite Quintet (2005) • "Disturbing the Silence" • "Schrodinger's Cat" • "Succubus" • "Lady of Arosa" • "Nesting Dolls," selected as a winning composition in the "Homage to Mozart" Competition and performed by the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall; conducted by Mischa Rachlevsky "Der Golum," a solo violin work written for Anastasia Khitruk (Premiered NYC, November 2007) "Notturno for Piano and Violin," Anatasia Khitruk (violin), Felice Kuan (piano) (2007) • "Jota De Alba" piano solo • "Sestina Movement" piano solo recorded by Pierce Emata "Shadow of Urbano," solo piano and string quintet (Premiered by the Quartet San Francisco and pianist Bob James, November 2007) • "Mambosa," also arranged for harp, flute and string quartet commissioned by Canta Libre Chamber Ensemble "Habanera," trio for flute, piano and clarinet commissioned by the Palisades Virtuosi (2007)[11] "Baion De Bayo for Windwood Quintet," commissioned by the Quintet of the Americas (2008) "Goyescana," a concerto for guitar and orchestra commissioned by Robert Phillips for performance with the Imperial Symphony Orchestra (2008) "Los Caprichos," orchestral works based on the Francisco Goya prints of the same name, commissioned by the National Theatre Orchestra of Brazil and conducted by Maestro Ira Levin (2008) • World Premier in Sao Paulo, Brazil (October 2008) • Performed in Seoul, South Korea (November 2009) • U.S. Premier with the Jacksonville Symphony and Fabio Mechetti, conducting (May 2010) • Performed in Bogota, Colombia (August 2010) "Idoru, Piano Trio," a work for piano, violin and cello commissioned by the New Arts Trio for the 30th Anniversary Season at The Chautauqua Arts Institute (2008) • "Allegro Chaconne" • "Andante Con Mosso" • "Moderato Con Fuoco" Quintet for piano, violin, cello, flute & clarinet (Premiered at UNCSA, January 2008) • "Habanera" • "Gitana" "Three Cabinets of Wonder," concerto for violin and orchestra, recorded with the London Symphony, Ira Levin, conducting and Anastasia Khitruk, solo violin (January 2010) "Unbearable Lightness of Being," for string orchestra, recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, Ira Levin, conducting (January 2010) "Chant D'Auvergne," Canteloube's beloved folk song arrangements transformed into Nuevo Tango • "Nai Pas" • "Brezairola," arranged by Michael Colina.

Featuring Daniel Binelli (bandoneon), Polly Ferman (piano), Carole Rowley (vocal), Nicolas Danielson (violin), Pablo Asian (bass), and Martin Moretto (guitar) "The Isles of Shoals," a concerto for flute and orchestra in three movements; an arrangement for flute & piano was recorded by Duo Brasilis (Music of the Americas, Meta Cultural label) "To a Stranger," a song for soprano, tenor and string quartet "Eye of the Ice," a ballet score commissioned by Richard Kuch for the NC Dance Theater