Jeff Kempskie, piano

JEFF KEMPSKIE is active in the Washington, DC area as a church musician, choral conductor, pianist, organist, and singer. He has served as Director of Music and organist at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Capitol Hill since 2010, where he directs the Chancel Choir and manages all other aspects of the music program. Mr. Kempskie has been on the faculty of The George Washington University since January 2016 and is the accompanist and assistant conductor for the University Singers. He has directed the Women's Ensemble, coached various chamber ensembles, and accompanied a variety of student recitals. Over the past few years he served as Associate Director of the Reston Chorale and Assistant Music Director for the Cantate Concert Choir. As a singer, Mr. Kempskie has sung with numerous groups including the Cantate Chamber Singers, early music ensemble Chantry, and with the choirs at Washington National Cathedral and St. Paul’s K Street.

Prior to moving to Washington, D.C., Mr. Kempskie taught choral music at the Eaglebrook School and Quabbin Regional Middle/High School while serving as organist or music director at a variety of churches of different denominations—Unitarian Universalist, Catholic, Episcopal, and Presbyterian—in Massachusetts and New York. He has been piano and organ accompanist for choirs at the Eastman School of Music, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In addition, he has music-directed or played keyboard for nearly 60 musical theater productions.

Mr. Kempskie received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, studying conducting with Dr. E. Wayne Abercrombie. He also earned a Master’s degree in Organ Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Dr. William Porter.