About Max
A native New Yorker, Max Parsons is a versatile musician with a focus on classical singing. Known for his musicality and dramatically colored voice, Max is at home singing both operatically and in choral music. Max is an experienced music educator, an accomplished conductor, and a budding composer.
This season, Max lends his voice to the Trinity Wall Street choir in Bach at One, Spire Ensemble, Bach Vespers, and the MACC ensemble with Fort Greene Orchestra. He appears as the baritone soloist in Carmina Burana at Christ Church Rye in collaboration with the German International School. Max also makes a solo debut with the Grace Chorale of Brooklyn for a Holiday concert including Bach’s Magnificat and Fantasia on Christmas Carols by Vaughan Williams. Max returns to the Fifth Avenue Choir to sing a concert series including Messiah and Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles. A longtime member of Ghostlight Chorus, Max will have his composition Magnificat performed this season. Max also appears with artist Oklou on her NPR Tiny Desk concert and subsequent concert at the Knockdown Center as part of her North American Tour.
This year, Max founded a new chamber choir called Vern Ensemble. Under his direction, Vern performed its first concert in January, titled "Tavener & Taverner".
Last season, Max performed with the Fifth Avenue Choir in a concert series that included Handel's Messiah, Martin's Mass for Double Choir, Caroline Shaw's To the Hands, and the Brahms Requiem. He appeared with Musica Sacra and the New York Philharmonic's presentation of Messiah at Lincoln Center. He sings regularly with Canterbury Choral Society, with which he performed in Verdi's Requiem and Bach's St. John's Passion, singing the role of Pontius Pilate.
As a student at the University of Texas at Austin's Butler School of Music, Max performed in the Butler Opera Chorus and the Austin Opera Chorus. During his undergrad he participated in the Opera Breve Institute, where he played the roles of Papageno and Masetto in The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni, respectively. Since his time in school Max has vocally transitioned to tenor and is excited to explore that repertoire.
As Upper School Choir Director at Manhattan Country School, Max led students aged 8-14 in a robust multicultural music program. He arranged and transcribed songs and led the school chorus in several assemblies throughout the year. This season, Max worked with Every Voice Choirs to assist Concert Choir. Max returns to music-direct the spring musical Kiss Me, Kate at M.S. 54. He has been a regular accompanist and pit orchestra pianist for the spring musicals at St. Hilda's and St. Hugh's school, including repertoire such as Into the Woods, School of Rock, Godspell, and Pirates of Penzance.