Markus leads a rally in song on Church Street in Montclair
Markus shares his guitar with a young congregant after worship
Markus was trained as a classical pianist in Germany before studying jazz on a scholarship at Berklee College of Music. In addition, he earned a Master’s degree in choral conducting from the Boston Conservatory. He also completed the three-year Music Leadership Certification program administered by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) in collaboration with the Association of Unitarian Universalist Music Ministries (AUUMM).
Markus has conducted big bands, vocal ensembles, orchestras, rock groups, jazz combos, and over 80 musical theater productions, including a national tour of Irving Berlin’s I Love A Piano. He has also lived in four countries, figured out the meaning of life, played keytar in a rock group while dressed in a neon pink jumpsuit, co-founded an opera company, and released two CDs of his piano compositions; his music has been featured on nationally syndicated German network radio and on the album le classique abstrait, published worldwide by Universal Music.
Markus has been serving the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair since 2012. He believes in the power of communal singing, dismantling white supremacy, and smashing the patriarchy.
Sermons
“Imagining Ourselves into Community”
April 27, 2025"Imagining Ourselves into Community"— led by the Rev. Craig Rubano. At the heart of Unitarian Universalist congregational authority is covenant, a distinctly different form of power from creedal adherence, and one that requires a wellspring of imagination. This morning, we whet our imaginative appetites for co-creation—shared intentionality, harmony, and truth—as we ongoingly imagine ourselves more deeply into Beloved Community.
The Mystic Egg
April 20, 2025"The Mystic Egg"— led by Markus Hauck, director of music ministries. Many cultures regard the egg as a symbol of life. On this last day of Passover, Easter Sunday, and almost Earth Day, let us celebrate the arrival of spring together as we explore the connections between Paganism, Judaism, and Christianity.
“Beloved: A Redamancy of Fugitivity”
April 6, 2025"Beloved: A Redamancy of Fugitivity" — led by the Rev. Jé Hooper. As a community of faith and mindfulness, the word “beloved” has become a signature term of UU endearment that emphasizes the hope of unity and equality as passed down from our theological ancestors, Josiah Royce, Howard Thurman, and Martin Luther King Jr. To be Beloved or in Beloved Community has bound us together to radical ideals of belonging. Join Rev. Jé as they apply the work of Toni Morrison’s book Beloved as a way to examine a fugitivity of affection, a way to love others in their freedom of becoming.