We are delighted that Mr. Maximilian Esmus will be our accompanist for the 2015-2016 season!
Joining Greater South Jersey Chorus as accompanist in 2014, Mr. Esmus also serves as Director of Music at Grace Episcopal Church in Haddonfield, New Jersey, where he conducts the adult and youth choirs and accompanies services on the organ and piano. He is the Artistic Director of the Haddonfield Center and School for the Performing Arts, a growing non-profit organization that presents an eclectic concert series and diverse educational programming in the arts. Additionally, Mr. Esmus teaches piano students of all ages in his position on the piano faculty of Rowan Prep, Rowan University’s community music school. Before joining GSJC he performed as accompanist with the Indiana University of Pennsylvania choirs and the Rowan University Concert Choir.
In May 2014, Mr. Esmus completed his master’s degree in choral conducting at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ, where he was assistant conductor of the Rowan Statesmen Men’s Chorus and the WOCHO Women’s Chorus. He earned his undergraduate degree in music theory and composition with concentrations in piano and organ from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he was awarded first prize in the school’s Chopin Piano Competition and received a number of music scholarships, including the Carol Teti Memorial Organ Scholarship. In much demand as a collaborative pianist and organist, Mr. Esmus regularly accompanies student recitals, school choirs, and local musical theater productions. He recently performed with the Rowan Concert Choir during their 2013 tour of Eastern Europe, playing a number of historic organs in Krakow, Poland and Budapest, Hungary. As a composer, his interests currently include writing and arranging for organ and four-hand piano duet, as well as sacred choral works and hymn settings. Mr. Esmus currently resides in Glassboro, New Jersey.