Michael James Gandolfi (born July 5, 1956) is an American composer of contemporary classical music. He chairs the composition department at the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC). Gandolfi was born in Melrose, Massachusetts. He taught himself guitar as a child, studied for a year at the Berklee College of Music, and then entered NEC, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees. Since 1997, Gandolfi has been the coordinator for the Tanglewood Music Center's composition department. Gandolfi resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is a member of ASCAP.