BRIAN SCHOETTLER (b. 1988)
An organist and composer, Brian Schoettler is currently Organist at Morristown United Methodist Church in Morristown, New Jersey. Previously, Brian held positions as Organ Scholar at St. Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church in downtown Chicago, Assisting Organist at St. Mary's Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Asstistant Organist at Evangelical United Methodist (EUM) Church in Racine, Wisconsin.
Brian began piano lessons at age six and his instinct to improvise quickly lead to a strong interest in composition. Brian’s first large-scale premiere was for an audience of over 3,000 attendants as his work for concert band, Legacy, was performed as part of the 2007 Band-O-Rama festival in Kenosha, WI. Legacy was awarded 1st Place in the Wisconsin School Music Association’s 2007 Student Composition Project and was also featured in an article in Wisconsin School Musician (WSM) by Dr. Timothy Yontz. Brian continues to compose and arrange works for concert band, chamber ensembles, chorus, organ, and other mediums and his compositions are available through Schoettler Music (ASCAP).
An avid saxophonist, Brian is a member of the Kenosha Pops Concert Band and the Racine Concert Band. In addition to performing in large ensembles, Brian also led his own saxophone quintet, The Schoettler Saxophone Ensemble. This ensemble performed throughout Southeastern Wisconsin and incorporated transcriptions of classical chamber ensemble repertoire while also featuring several new compositions written specifically for saxophone ensemble. Many of Brian’s own compositions and arrangements for saxophone ensemble have been premiered by the group including several Christmastide arrangements that can be heard on their CD recording, Rejoice! Rejoice!.
Brian has travelled around the world performing in Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Japan, Belize, and Mexico with such groups as the Carthage Wind Orchestra, the Carthage Choir, and the Tremper Golden Strings. Notable venues include St. Martin in the Wall in Prague, Czech Republic, Islewerth Country Club in Orlando, Florida, and Kochi City Cultural Plaza in Kochi, Japan.
Brian is a member of the the American Guild of Organists (AGO), the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians (ALCM), the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), and the Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI). Brian graduated summa cum laude from Carthage College with a triple emphasis in Organ Performance, Church Music, and Instrumental Music Education and is currently pursuing a MM in Organ Performance at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey.