Max Vance performs and composes music that draws on storytelling and community to connect audiences through vivid performance and original composition. Through dynamic cello performances, inventive compositions, and intuitive teaching, Max’s unique approach, which combines relationship-building and excellence, has earned him competition wins and recognition from local conductors. 

 

Max’s belief in music as a connective force comes to life in Project Unity, a composition designed to bring together as many musicians as possible from a university music department in a single work. The piece compiles an unlikely mix of instruments, including orchestral players, guitars, choir, electric bass, synthesizer, and organ, performed by students, alumni, and faculty side by side. Max designed the core instrumental parts to be flexible enough for musicians of any background to join in, while carving out a featured moment for each ensemble. 

 

Max’s artistry has earned him multiple awards for both his compositions and cello performances. Max placed 1st in both performance and composition categories and 2nd in performance again in the SPU music competition in 2022, 2025, and 2026. In 2022, Max collaborated with then-composer-in-residence at Benaroya Hall, Angelique Poteat, and his music was premiered there by members of the Seattle Symphony. Reflecting on Max’s work, conductor Hsuan Lee said, “Max demonstrated remarkable skill in understanding the strengths of every section, giving each instrumental and vocal group its own expressive identity while achieving an elegant balance between artistic freedom and structural discipline.” This ability to draw out each performer’s individual voice while shaping it into a unified whole has become a defining feature of Max’s work, echoing the very themes of community and craftsmanship that run throughout his music.

 

In addition to his composing life, Max is a skilled performer. He has performed with a range of bands and ensembles at venues across Seattle and around the world, including The Triple Door, University of Washington, MoPop, The Crocodile Café, Folklife Festival, Benaroya Hall, Cascades Camp and Conference Center, King 5 TV, and Nickerson Studios, as well as international stages such as Navafría, Spain, and Le Pavé d'Orsay in Paris, France. He graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a dual emphasis in cello performance and composition, studying under Mara Finkelstein and Sarah Bassingthwaighte. Though he enjoys performing in many settings, Max’s favorite remains the duet he shares with his wife and fellow cellist: Cellobration.

 

Next, Max is working towards breaking into the film scoring industry, studying under Hummie Mann and the Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Program. While there, he looks forward to further honing his skills and improving his storytelling through music.