Julian Wachner

Julian Wachner

Julian James Wachner (born September 23, 1969) is an American composer, conductor, and keyboardist. From 2011 to 2022, he served as the Director of Music and the Arts at Trinity Wall Street, conducting the Choir of Trinity Wall Street, the Trinity Baroque Orchestra, and NOVUS NY. Wachner recorded five albums with these ensembles, primarily for the Musica Omnia label. From 2008 to 2017, he served as the Director of The Washington Chorus. In March 2018, Wachner was named Artistic Director of the Grand Rapids Bach Festival, an affiliate of the Grand Rapids Symphony, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.As a guest conductor, he has led ensembles including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Juilliard Opera, and San Francisco Opera, and has participated in festivals including the Spoleto Festival USA, Glimmerglass Festival, Lincoln Center Festival, BAM Next Wave Festival, and the New York Philharmonic Biennial. As a composer, he has published over 60 musical works (see below), many of which are sacred works for chorus. His complete choral works to date were released in two volumes by Naxos Records in 2010 and 2014. Wachner is the author, with Kevin J. Moroney, of Psalms for All People: An Inclusive-Language Resource for Praying and Singing (Church Publishing) ISBN 9781640655614. On March 13, 2022, The New York Times reported a sexual assault allegation against Wachner, relating to a 2014 incident. Wachner had been put on leave on March 1, 2022, by Trinity Wall Street because of the allegation. He was fired on March 14. Wachner, through an attorney, denied the accusations.In 2020, Wachner became Professor of Music and the Arts at the General Theological Seminary in Chelsea, but on March 14, 2022, it removed all mentions of him from its website. Wachner has said that he and his family are moving to Indiana, so he is apparently no longer employed at GTS, where his wife Emily Bloemker Wachner was the seminary's Lecturer in Pastoral Theology and Director of Integrative Programs until 2020.

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