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About

Max Holm is a jazz pianist, composer, producer, arranger, author and educator. He attended the Berklee College of Music as one of the elite handful of Presidential Scholars, and was accepted into the prestigious Berklee Global Jazz Institute. Max received his Bachelor of Music degree in Professional Music with triple concentrations in performance, composing and production in 2020, summa cum laude. Over the years he’s amassed numerous awards, including Outstanding Jazz Piano Soloist from Downbeat Magazine, Essentially Ellington Competition at Lincoln Center, Yamaha Young Artists Competition, and many more. 

Max has performed hundreds of times across the US and Europe, often with renowned jazz musicians in arenas and famous venues, such as Dizzy’s Club, Blues Alley, and the Stadium of Fire, among many others. With his namesake quartet, he’s performed at several jazz festivals on two continents. See Venue list.

Max’s jazz arrangements and recordings of Bach’s Air on the G String and Prelude in C Minor can be heard on Anne Hathaway’s and Jessica Chastain’s film Mothers’ Instinct. Other recordings are heard on TV and cable networks across the world. His hard rock composition DO OR DIE was placed in a recent Monster Energy campaign.

Max’s music has been streamed over 50 million times on over 12,000 influencer channels across the globe. 

Max is a featured performer on the award-winning album The Inside of the Outside with Jeff Coffin, Branford Marsalis, Trombone Shorty, et al.

He played his song Gran Via (from the Don’t Be A Stranger album) privately for Chick Corea, inspiring Chick to tell Max, “You make that piano sound good! Play that chorus again! ”

Max’s album of neo-classical music for film trailers, IMPASSE, is out now on all streaming platforms. As a prolific composer, he has amassed a catalog of music of over 200 compositions and counting. 

His book Ace Your Sight-Reading Audition! is a favorite among musicians of all ages in the US, UK, Spain, Mexico and Brazil. It is available in English and Spanish, as hardcover, paperback, Kindle and Audiobook. Max is already working on his second and third books under his Easy Music Hacks imprint.

Max teaches jazz composition/arranging, and jazz piano to Oklahoma State University students. Privately, he accepts a very small number of highly motivated adult jazz piano students. He has given master classes in the US and Europe. If interested in a master class, please use the Contact form on this site.

Max grew up in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of an American digital nomad, genius IQ mother and a Swedish classical violinist father.  He is fluent in English and Swedish. Far from having an idyllic childhood, he had to overcome many painful adversities, including severe bullying and abuse. At the age of 13, Max lost half his blood and had a near death experience. 7 blood transfusions from 7 strangers, saved his life and gave him an overwhelming passion for jazz. He gave a TED talk about it. 

As a dual citizen, Max is authorized to work in both the US and the European Union.