Maurice Burgess, Associate Conductor, Principal

Maurice Burgess

Maurice Burgess serves as Director of Vocal Activities and fine and performing arts department head at East Edisto Middle School. In our inaugural year, The Wolfpack Singers have made appearances at Summerville Italian Feast, EEMS Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, with the Summerville Orchestra, at EEMS Veterans Day Program, the EEMS Black History Program, and took three groups to SCMEA Middle School Choral Performance Assessment with In bocca al lupo and Heulen receiving Superior with Distinction in the Advanced Division and the 6th Grade Choir receiving superior both on stage and in sightsinging for the Middle School Division for an overall superior rating! EEMS Wolfpack Singers were born from the legacy of The Mustang Voices at Gregg Middle school. Under his direction, the GMS program was a consistently superior rated program that has made appearances with professional symphony orchestras and choirs and was the 2022 featured middle school choral performing ensemble at the SCMEA state music conference. He is the 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year for Gregg Middle School and currently serves as President Elect for the SCMEA Choral Division. He is a faculty member for Gateway, the district’s gifted and talented arts program and serves as associate conductor for the nationally acclaimed Taylor Festival Choir. Maurice is also on the Board of Directors of The Servant Leadership Association for Music. He was a longtime voice instructor with Converse College: Lawson Academy of the Arts, as well as serving as associate choral director at the awarding winning Dorman High School where, during his time there, the group was featured at the SCMEA state music conference. Programs under his direction receive consistent superior ratings and have consistently placed students in SCMEA All-State, SC ACDA state honors chorus, and ACDA National Honors chorus. Burgess is a graduate of Western Carolina University where he received the Bachelor of Science degree in music education with a double concentration in both vocal and instrumental music and holds a Master of Music in Voice Performance from Converse College: Petrie School of Music. He is currently a Doctor of Education Candidate in Curriculum & Instruction at Liberty University. Additional voice performance and pedagogy studies include summer work at both Westminster Choir College and Indiana University. Maurice has made both operatic and concert appearances and was a scholarship recipient at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria where he was a member of the Lieder Program making his European debut as a recitalist. Since then, Maurice has been seen on the operatic and musical theatre stage as well as a soloist in oratorio and major works by Bach and Handel. He has served as the clinician for the SCMEA 6th Grade Clinic, Choral Arts Reading Sessions, TTB Clinic, SSA clinic as well as a Clinician/Evaluator for the Indianapolis School Music Festival and as a choir host and clinician at the Music for All National Choir Festival. In addition, he has presented professional development to school districts around the southeast, has presented at the SC ACDA state chorus conference, and will be a clinician at the GIA Publications Habits Institute as well as for Servant Leadership Association for Music Crafting Culture- The Music Teacher Leader in summer 2023. During the summer, he also serves as a faculty member for the Music for All Drum Major Institute. He was a 2010 recipient of the NATS Emerging Leaders Award and is also a member of the New York Singing Teachers Association. His voice students have been local, state, and regional competition winners, scholarship recipients to some of the top university programs in the nation, and have performed with numerous professional, amateur, and semi-professional performing organizations. As a trumpet teacher, his students have been members of the SC Region and All-State bands, Charleston Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the SC Youth Wind Symphony and are consistent recipients of superior ratings and acceptance into summer performing arts programs. He has served on marching band staff for consistent state finalists and state championship band programs. Maurice currently serves as President Elect of the SCMEA Choral Division, serves as the SC ACDA Tenor Bass Repertoire and Resources Coordinator,  has served as SCMEA Middle School Choral Performance Assessment Chairperson, and serves on the Taylor Music Group Board.