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
“Restoring a Stolen Saint”
January 18, 2026"Restoring a Stolen Saint"— led by the Rev. Anya Sammler-Michael, senior co-minister.
Martin Luther King Day hurries us from 2026 back to 1963 to revel in a period of history where great strides for civil and human rights were made for black Americans. Rev. King's words are as relevant as always. They defend against the white supremacist sentiment that has regained a place in our social dialog, and nationalistic ethos. But what King are we remembering, when we use his words to speak to our own era? This service reveres a radical leader with a specific project who remained to the last, unbowed by the powers and principalities of hate.
“A Radical Resistance”
January 11, 2026"A Radical Resistance""— led by the Rev. Charles Loflin. In 1841, Unitarian Theodor Parker preached an ordination sermon entitled the "The Transient and Permanent in Christianity." Parker drew a distinction between "permanent" spiritual truths and "transient" religious forms. This would become a foundational text for American UUism and Transcendentalism. How might those concepts apply in our current context to reclaim a legacy of social justice work infused with a theology of radical resistance?
“Rebellion as a Spiritual Practice”
January 4, 2026"Rebellion as a Spiritual Practice"— led by the Rev. Anya Sammler-Michael, senior co-minister.
The greatest crimes are not committed by people breaking the rules but by those who indiscriminately follow unjust rules. Our service invites us to incite rebellion internally against the chains that bind our spirits, and externally, against the powers that use our freedom to serve their own ends. We will also share in a Fire Communion - a way to release and prepare for the new year. January 4 2026 UUCM Worship Service