February 24, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ellsworth Community Music Institute Welcomes New Director Peter van Reesema
Ellsworth, Maine — The City of Ellsworth and the Ellsworth Community Music Institute (ECMI) are pleased to announce Peter van Reesema as the Institute’s new Director. A seasoned musician and conductor who previously directed the orchestra for Hamilton in New York City, van Reesema now brings his experience, vision, and passion for community-based music education to Ellsworth.
Van Reesema and his wife, Rosie van Reesema (née Upton), recently relocated from Brooklyn to Downeast Maine to be closer to family. It was through his wife that he first learned of ECMI and met its founder and Artistic Director, Nancy Colter.
“Nancy and I immediately hit it off,” van Reesema said. “We share a deep love for music and a commitment to music education. We also see music as a way to build community. Nancy and ECMI’s mission to remove barriers to music education was a natural fit for me.”
Van Reesema’s years in New York at the highest levels of professional music have shaped his leadership philosophy. Rather than viewing a conductor as someone who directs from above, he describes the role as deeply collaborative. “At Hamilton I learned that a good conductor has good ears,” he said. “Not to be a train conductor telling people where to go, but to be a conduit — someone who listens, is highly empathetic, and anticipates the needs of others. I’ve always dreamed boldly, but never alone. When I think about leading ECMI, I’m excited to meet people who want to dream too.”
ECMI is housed at the Moore Community Center, a City-owned facility that serves as a hub for recreation, arts, and community activity. The City of Ellsworth is proud to see the Moore Community Center continue to thrive as a space for creative expression and connection.
Raised in Chelsea, Michigan, a small farm town similar in scale to Ellsworth, van Reesema credits his own trajectory to the support of a single teacher who believed in him. He sees ECMI as a place where those same life-changing moments can happen for young musicians today.
Looking ahead, van Reesema envisions ECMI becoming “a hub for conversation and creativity,” with expanded student-led programming, more instruments and genres, group classes, summer camps, and the continued presence of world-class artists who mentor and inspire students.
ECMI continues to offer free monthly midday concerts at the Moore Community Center Theater and provides access to accomplished faculty and educational programming for students of all ages.
For more information about the Ellsworth Community Music Institute, upcoming concerts, or educational opportunities, visit www.ellsworthcommunitymusic.org.
Members of the media interested in learning more, please contact: Amy Kenney, Director of Communications, City of Ellsworth at akenney@ellsworthmaine.gov
