Julian James Wachner (born September 23, 1969) is an American choral conductor, composer, and keyboardist. From 2011 to 2022, he served as the Director of Music and the Arts at Trinity Wall Street, conducting the Choir of Trinity Wall Street, the Trinity Baroque Orchestra, and NOVUS NY.Trinity Wall Street. "Music & Arts." Accessed July 1, 2015 In 2020, Wachner was appointed Professor of Music and the Arts at the General Theological Seminary in Chelsea.Wachner, Julian, "An open letter to the arts community" His employment with Trinity Wall Street was terminated in 2022 due to unspecified objectionable conduct.
In August 2025, Wachner was arrested and charged with ten counts of possession of child sex abuse material and one count of cocaine possession, following an investigation that began after cryptocurrency transactions linked him to a dark web child sex abuse site.Adams, Matt. "Cryptocurrency, child sex abuse material and a confession: Teacher faces 11 charges Fox 59 News. At the time of his arrest, Wachner was working as a fourth grade teacher at Invent Learning Hub, a charter school in Indianapolis. He was also the conductor for Foundation Concerto Vocale, an American baroque musical foundation. Following the charges, the Concerto Vocale Foundation terminated its relationship with Wachner.Jacobs, Julia. "Ousted Maestro Charged in Child Sex Abuse Imagery Case The New York Times, August 26, 2025. The German boys' choir Tölzer Knabenchor, with which Wachner had recently been associated, also publicly distanced itself from Wachner following his arrest and urged parents and choirboys to have no contact with him. On July 15, 2026, Wachner agreed "to plead guilty to five counts of possession of child sex abuse material and one count of possession of cocaine."
On September 9, 2026, in Indiana's Marion Superior Court, Wachner was "sentenced to nearly six years of probation" and "must also register as a sex offender".Tsioulcas, Anastasia. "Conductor Julian Wachner receives suspended sentence for possession of child sex abuse material". NPR, September 9, 2026.
Biography Wachner was born in 1969 in Hollywood, California into a musical household. His mother, Mary Spire, is a pianist, and his former stepfather, Robert Cole, was a conductor. Wachner began cello and piano lessons at age 4 at the University of Southern California, and from age 9 to 13, Wachner studied composition in New York at the Saint Thomas Choir School under Gerre Hancock.Anne Midgette. "A polymath in D.C.: The long ascendancy of conductor-composer Julian Wachner." November 14, 2014. Accessed July 2, 2015.Naxos. "Julian Wachner." Accessed July 6, 2015
Wachner later attended the Boston University College of Fine Arts, where he studied with Lukas Foss, Theodore Antoniou, David Hoose, and Marjorie Merryman.Boston Bach Ensemble. "The Artists." Accessed July 1, 2015. Archived While a student there, he was appointed the University Organist and Choirmaster at Marsh Chapel.Boston University Marsh Chapel. "Music." Accessed July 1, 2015 He graduated in 1996 with a Doctorate of Musical Arts in compositionWachner, Julian James. "Lamentations" [original composition]. DMA thesis. Boston University, 1996. Proquest no. 9623964. and orchestral conducting and taught as an Assistant Professor of Sacred Music at BU's School of Theology. From 1999 to 2002, he directed the Young Artists Composition Program at the Tanglewood Institute.
During his tenure at BU, Wachner also headed multiple Boston-area arts institutions. In 1995, he and Peter Watchorn founded the Boston Bach Ensemble, a period instrument orchestra and choir. Their recording of Bach's Christmas Oratorio, released in 2001, helped launch Watchorn's Musica Omnia label in 1998.Musica Omnia. "Boston Bach Ensemble." Accessed July 1, 2015 Wachner also served as Director of the Back Bay Chorale, releasing a CD of works by Benjamin Britten with the ensemble in 2001.Back Bay Chorale. "About Us: The Chorale." Accessed July 6, 2015. From 1996 to 2006, he was Director of the Providence Singers in Providence, RI.The Providence Singers. "About the Providence Singers." Accessed July 1, 2015. In 1999 he conducted the premier performance of The Magdalene Passion, by composer Elaine Bearer, with the Providence Singers, an hour-long oratorio with five soloists, chorus, organ and chamber orchestra.
Wachner moved to Montreal in 2001 to become an associate professor at McGill University's Schulich School of Music, a post he held until 2011. As associate professor, Wachner served as the principal conductor of Opera McGill and occasionally conducted the McGill Symphony and Contemporary Music Ensemble. He also founded and directed the Schulich Singers, a chamber choir that performs repertoire spanning all musical periods.McGill University. "Schulich Singers." Accessed July 6, 2015 While in Montreal, Wachner served as Artistic Director of the Festival Bach Montréal for one edition and as Director of Music of the Presbyterian Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul.
In 2008, Wachner returned to the United States to direct the Washington Chorus. The Chorus released a CD of Christmas carols in 2010, featuring several arrangements by Wachner himself.Naxos Records. "Christmas with The Washington Chorus." Accessed July 6, 2015. Under Wachner's direction, the Chorus also performed with the Rolling Stones in the final concert of their "50 and Counting" tour in 2013.Rolling Stones. "Verizon Center, Washington DC: June 24 setlist." June 25, 2013. Accessed July 6, 2015.
Wachner was appointed Director of Music and the Arts at Trinity Wall Street in 2011, placing him at the podium of both the church's choir and baroque orchestra. In his first season there, he established NOVUS NY, a contemporary music ensemble. His 2012 recording of Handel's Israel in Egypt with the Trinity Choir and Trinity Baroque Orchestra was nominated for a 2013 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance.Billboard. "2013 Grammy Awards: Full List of Nominees." Accessed July 1, 2015. Wachner recorded five albums with the ensembles of Trinity Wall Street, primarily for the Musica Omnia label. From 2008 to 2017, he served as the Director of The Washington Chorus.Anne Midgette. "Wachner to Head Washington Chorus." The Washington Post. April 1, 2008. Accessed July 1, 2015.Anne Midgette. "Wachner to leave Washington Chorus after 9 seasons." The Washington Post. February 24, 2016. Accessed March 14, 2022. In March 2018, Wachner was named Artistic Director of the Grand Rapids Bach Festival, an affiliate of the Grand Rapids Symphony, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.Danielle Nelson. "Bach Festival hires Artistic Director." Grand Rapids Business Journal. March 16, 2018.
As a guest conductor, he has led ensembles including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Juilliard Opera, and San Francisco Opera, and has participated in festivals including the Spoleto Festival USA, Glimmerglass Festival, Lincoln Center Festival, BAM Next Wave Festival, and the New York Philharmonic Biennial.Sources:
David Patrick Stearns. "'Messiah' with Phila. Orchestra, Singers." Philadelphia Inquirer. December 16, 2008. Accessed August 6, 2015. James R. Oestreich. "Rethinking Further War." New York Times. November 21, 2013. Accessed August 7, 2015. Janos Gereben. "Conductor Switch for Partenope." San Francisco Classical Voice. September 23, 2014. Accessed August 6, 2015. Richard Dyer. "Classical Notes: Superconductor." Boston Globe. May 18, 2001. Accessed August 21, 2015. Archived Anthony Tommasini. "Four Trips to Hell and Back at the Opera." New York Times. August 7, 2007. Accessed August 6, 2015. Tommasini. "Audience Enters a Sightless World, Where Listening Becomes a Lifeline." New York Times. July 10, 2013. Accessed August 7, 2015. Brooklyn Academy of Music. "21c Liederabend." Accessed August 7, 2015. Mark Swed. "NY Phil Biennial laudable, yet in need of curatorial vision." Los Angeles Times. June 5, 2014. Accessed August 6, 2015. As a composer, he has published over 60 musical works (see below), many of which are sacred works for chorus.ECS Publishing. "Wachner, Julian." Accessed August 6, 2015 His complete choral works to date were released in two volumes by Naxos Records in 2010 and 2014. Wachner is the author, with Kevin J. Moroney and others, of Psalms for All People: An Inclusive-Language Resource for Praying and Singing.Psalms for All People: An Inclusive-Language Resource for Praying and Singing. Church Publishing, 2022. The book was immediately withdrawn by its publisher following Wachner's firing from his church and seminary positions.
In 2025, Concerto Vocale, an American foundation that produces historically informed performances of the works of J. S. Bach, appointed Wachner as a director.Lebrecht, Norman. "Exclusive: Sacked Juilliard prof is back on track" Slipped Disc, March 3, 2025. Following his 2025 arrest and charges, Concerto Vocale terminated this relationship.
Controversies and legal issues
On February 28, 2022, Mary Poole, a former employee of the Juilliard School, publicly alleged that Wachner had "groped her and kissed her" during a 2014 music festival; she had hired Wachner for a directing job. Wachner has denied these allegations. Following these accusations, on March 1, 2022, Wachner was placed on leave by Trinity Wall Street. The foregoing details were published in The New York Times on March 13, 2022. The next day, Trinity fired Wachner, without having concluded its investigation of the 2014 allegations, because of "recent information that Julian has otherwise conducted himself in a manner that is inconsistent with our expectations of anyone who occupies a leadership position." On March 14, 2022, the General Theological Seminary removed all mentions of him from its website.General Theological Seminary
On March 18, 2022, Wachner posted his version of the 2014 incident at his website, denying that any nonconsensual activity had occurred. He later deleted the post. On December 22, 2022, Wachner sued the Juilliard School for defamation, arguing that the school had never investigated the allegation against him and made false statements about him. The case was dismissed with prejudice by the New York Supreme Court.
2025 arrest and charges