Maxwell Trombley

About Maxwell

Maxwell Trombley is a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in Choral Conducting at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he studies with Dr. Joe Miller and Dr. Brett Scott. He also serves as the 2025–2026 Choral Conducting Fellow with the Cincinnati May Festival.

He began his graduate studies at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and later transferred with Dr. Amanda Quist to Western Michigan University, where he earned a Master of Music in Choral Conducting.

Trombley taught secondary choral music in Michigan public schools for four years. His choirs consistently earned excellent ratings at state festivals and toured nationally. He also served the Michigan School Vocal Music Association by coordinating honors choirs and solo and ensemble events.

As a vocalist, Trombley has performed internationally and with major American orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, and New World Symphony. He currently serves as a 2025–2026 VOCES8 US Scholar and has performed with Seraphic Fire as a member of its Early Artist Program. He has also appeared as a Chorus Fellow at the Spoleto Festival USA and an invited artist at the Bay View Music Festival.

In 2024, Trombley was awarded a Research Grant to support his work reviving the music of 19th-century Puerto Rican composer Felipe Gutiérrez y Espinosa. He was also named a semi-finalist for the 2025–2026 Fulbright U.S. Student Program for a proposed project to study conducting in the United Kingdom.

In addition to his work as a vocalist and educator, Trombley is an experienced conductor with a strong background in sacred music. He recently served as Director of Music at First Congregational Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and is a member of the summer voice faculty and managerial staff at Interlochen Center for the Arts.