[7] Repper grew up in Orange County, California and attended the Pacific Symphony's family concerts with his grandmother, where he was inspired to take piano lessons.

[10] After he returned to the United States when he was 9, he began to study conducting formally with Marin Alsop.

[11] After attending Stanford University, Michael attended the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Gustav Meier and served as the Assistant Conductor of the Peabody Orchestras and Choruses.

[12] In 2016, Repper became the 17th music director of the New York Youth Symphony, which performs at Carnegie Hall.

[13] Under his direction, the New York Youth Symphony earned international honors, winning a Classical Digital Award in 2020[14] and the Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance in 2023, becoming the first youth orchestra in history to achieve this recognition.