Margaret (Maggie) burk is a conductor, composer, and vocalist committed to the transformative power of choral music.

A native of Lawrence, Kansas, Maggie is currently Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis., where she oversees the choral area, teaches coursework in music education, choral literature, and conducting, and directs the award-winning Carthage Choir. In demand as a clinician, she recently conducted the Virginia All-State Treble Choir and has appeared as a faculty member at the Montreat Conference on Music and Worship (Montreat, NC) and the Royal School of Church Music King’s College Course (Wilkes-Barre, PA). Her 2023 engagements include conducting the Virginia District XII SATB Honor Choir (Oakton, VA), filming a masterclass for the Royal Canadian College of Organists’ Organist Launchpad project (Montréal, Quebec; due to be released by 2024), serving as Music Director for the Royal School of Church Music’s Midwest Choral Festival (Evansville, IN), and conducting the Illinois District VII Honor Choir (Glenbrook, IL).

Maggie completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Michigan where she studied with Eugene Rogers. While at Michigan, Maggie conducted the Arts Chorale and the University Choir; in addition, she served as Assistant Conductor for the Men’s and Women’s Glee Clubs (becoming the first female to conduct the Men’s Glee Club since the Club’s founding in 1859). While at Michigan, Maggie also taught a music workshop at Saginaw Correctional Facility as part of the Prison Creative Arts Project.

Maggie completed the Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music/Institute of Sacred Music, where she studied with Marguerite Brooks, Jeffrey Douma, and David Hill. She was awarded the Robert Shaw Prize for outstanding achievement in choral conducting as well as the Institute’s Faculty Prize for scholarship, performance, and community leadership. Additionally, she was a featured soloist with the Yale Schola Cantorum and Yale Camerata.

Prior to her graduate studies, Maggie taught choral music at Free State High School in Lawrence, KS, and Sartell Middle School in Sartell, MN. She holds the Bachelor of Music degree summa cum laude from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN.

In addition to her conducting work, Maggie is an active composer and professional chorister. Her music is published by Oxford University Press, Hal Leonard, and Selah Music Publishing, and has been heard at on the BBC Radio 3 as well as at venues such as the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, St. Mark’s Church in Philadelphia, PA, and St. Michael and All Angels in Dallas, TX. Her setting of “Set Me As a Seal” (Hal Leonard) was performed by the National High School Honor Choir at the 2023 American Choral Directors’ Association National Conference in Cincinnati, OH (Eugene Rogers, conductor). She is a member of the Detroit-based professional ensemble Audivi and specializes in the interpretation of new and pre-Romantic works; she looks forward to her debut with the Yale Choral Artists in 2024 (Jeffrey Douma, conductor).

When she’s not working, Maggie is an avid foodie/home cook, runner, hiker, and explorer — particularly with her twin sister Katie and brother-in-law Dan. She is the proud mom of Leo, the fluffy ginger rescue cat.