“I’m there just to facilitate other people doing great things.”

John Eisemann directs some of the most beautiful musical experiences in Portland. In 2019 he and his wife, Jen Milius, founded In Medio (which means “in the midst”), a choir of classically-trained young adults singing powerful music. Their range is wide. I’ve seen the group fill a bar with brash, beer-swilling sea chanties and grace a candle-lit church with holiday carols.

Eisemann recently invited me to his office at Grant High School (where in his day job he directs five youth choirs). We talked about how he chooses music and develops the programs his choirs sing, how he rehearses them and how he views his responsibilities as an artist. Bonus: in this video he quickly explains the origin point for virtually all the popular music we listen to today.

Find more about In Medio and their upcoming performances here.