About the Artistic Director

Artistic Director Eric H. Strand, a musician with broad experience, interests, and repertoire, leads Early Music Michigan. As an organist, vocalist, and conductor, he has performed with such diverse groups as Pro Arte Singers at Indiana University, Albany Pro Musica, The Berkshire Bach Festival, The St. Cecilia Orchestra, and The Kalamazoo Symphony. A native of Kansas, he began his organ studies with his father, Dr. James Strand, and received degrees from Southwestern College, Kansas, and Indiana University, Bloomington. He is a doctoral candidate in choral conducting and organ at the Hartt School in Hartford, Connecticut. Teachers included Marilyn Keiser, Larry Allen, and Richard Coffey. Besides his work with Early Music Michigan, Mr. Strand is Director of Music and the Arts at First United Methodist Church in Grand Rapids. From 1998 to 2011, he was the Organist-Choirmaster at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Kalamazoo, and he has held similar posts in Indiana and New York. He has done significant study of movement through work in Body Mapping and the Alexander Technique. His wife, Jacqueline Stilger, is Director of Music at First United Methodist Church in Kalamazoo. They are the parents of three children, Carsten, Drew, and Avery.

About Early Music Michigan

The EMM Voices are a group of singers who have come together to perform music of the highest quality under the direction of their esteemed conductor, Eric Strand. A survey of the members indicates that they have been singing challenging music for up to forty years, the average being more than 12 years.

The EMM Orchestra is a body of professional musicians selected for their ability to play music of all periods and composers. The composition of the group varies with the demands of the music being performed.