Austin McWilliams is a conductor and countertenor who specializes in contemporary
vocal music. He strives to present compelling, intriguing art that is directly relevant
to the communities in which it is performed. In Fall 2023, Austin became the Director
of Choral Activities at Aquinas College after teaching at Western Michigan University
for six years. He is Head of Music at West Michigan Opera Project and was previously
Associate Conductor and Chorus Master at Opera Grand Rapids for three seasons. He
is also the choir director at Fountain Street Church, a non-denominational, non-creedal
institution that serves as a venue for heterodox speakers and ideologies and is a
faculty member at Missouri Scholars Academy, an annual, month-long governor’s school
for gifted high school juniors in his native state. He was on the artistic staff of
Ad Astra Music Festival for five seasons. Favorite projects include Stinney: An American Execution (Pollock/Price, world premiere), Our Trudy (Pidgorna/Reva, world premiere), Proving Up (Mazzoli/Vavrek), Considering Matthew Shepard (Johnson), The Last American Hammer (Hilliard/Boresi), and Of Rage and Remembrance (Corigliano). Austin holds degrees in Choral Conducting and Computer Engineering.
