Bio

A dedicated composer and performer, Max Abarientos (he/him) is a Connecticut-based pianist, clarinetist, and reed doubler. His compositional works are inspired by his love for adventure, imagination, and contemporary composition. One of his works, Celestial Odyssey, was performed live by the New Fairfield Middle School Concert Band and conducted by Abarientos himself in May, 2024. His message of youthful creativity can be found throughout many of his works such as A Christmas Train Set, Collection of the Cosmic Debris, Aquatic Reverie for Wind Ensemble, and Rolling Hills. His accolades include: 2024 CMEA All-State Composers Gallery Featured Composer, 2025 NAFME Young Composer's Gallery featured composer, and 2024 and 2025 CMEA Western Regionals on Clarinet. He was awarded the 2025 Luke Garrison Memorial Scholarship for his exemplary work in musical theater.

In addition to composing, he is a professional pit orchestra musician. His shows include The Music Man and Grease for the 2023 and 2024 Musicals at Richter summer seasons. He is also a volunteer pit musician at New Fairfield High School, having done Seussical (2022), Urinetown (2023), Matilda: The Musical (2024), and Little Shop of Horrors (2025). In June 2023, he received the Best Orchestra HALO award for his work in Urinetown. 

Outside of music, Abarientos is a certified fourth degree black belt Taekwondo Instructor and former USAT athlete. In his free time, he enjoys acting, juggling, and solving Rubik’s cubes.

Max Abarientos (he/him) is a transgender performing artist and composer pursuing his bachelor's degree in Music Education at Western Connecticut State University. As a graduate of New Fairfield High school, he dedicated his high school career to expanding his high school's music and theater department, advocating for budget changes to the school district in support of the performing arts, and supporting LGBTQ+ groups and communities in his town. He is a strong advocate for performing arts education in public schools and keeping music in the heart of young people. 

At 16, he made his first world premiere of his original piece, Celestial Odyssey for Concert Band, at New Fairfield Middle School. This was his first work written for educational purposes and focused on expanding the playing ability of musicians in grades 6-8 in order to prepare them for high school. Celestial Odyssey was the first of many of his pieces to fall under the theme of childhood and imagination, as he was inspired for his love of adventure and wonder as a child. He was a part of several rehearsals with the students and even conducted his own piece during their spring concert in May of 2024. Many of the students he met that year would go on to join the New Fairfield High School Marching Band and Symphonic Band, and one student even auditioned and was accepted into the New Fairfield High School Wind Ensemble as a freshman. 

The next year at 17, he was invited to arrange one of his works Aquatic Reverie, which was originally written for a wind quartet, for the New Fairfield High School Wind Ensemble. As part of his Senior Enrichment Experience project, he was an assistant to his band director and even filled in during rehearsals when his director was on paternity leave. During this time, he learned a lot about how to direct bands at different skill levels, as well as learning how to play several different instruments in order to teach other students. The world premiere of Aquatic Reverie for Wind Ensemble was on April 30, 2025 to a crowd of excited parents and NFHS alumni. He continues to write educational band music for all levels and will continue his compositional studies in college.

Outside of composing he is a pit orchestra musician and performer. He has done eight shows where he has performed as both a reed doubler and a keyboardist for New Fairfield High School Rebel Players and Musicals at Richter. His most notable shows have been Little Shop of Horrors (Keyboard 2), Evita (Keyboard 3), Grease (Reed 2), The Music Man (Reed 3), and Urinetown (Reed 1). He won the 2023 Best Orchestra Halo award for his work in Urinetown, and was nominated for the 2025 Best Orchestra Halo award for Little Shop of Horrors. In August 2025, he was awarded the 2025 Luke Garrison Memorial Scholarship from Musicals at Richter for his work as both a pit musician and youth musical workshop director. This scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior who displays a passion and love for theater, as well as dedication and commitment to the Musicals at Richter community.

Max Abarientos as also been an assistant music director for Mean Girls Jr. for the NF Jr Rebel Players theater troupe in July of 2025. His most recent credit was his work as Music Director for Musical's at Richter's Beetlejuice Jr. as part of their summer youth theater workshop in July and August of 2025. His experiences as a music director has given him a new perspective on youth musical theater and expanded his teaching abilities to include singing, accompanying, and directing.

Max is a passionate and hardworking musician and continues to display that in his compositional and directorial work. He is passionate about furthering the growth of the performing arts in public K-12 education and continues to strive for excellence in every project he takes on.