Evan Akers

It was apparent from a very young age that music would be central to Evan’s life. He began learning piano as soon as he could read, and when his interest in the piano began to wane, he turned to the organ. By the time he was in high school, he knew that he would become a church musician, and he decided to study organ performance in college.

Evan currently wears many musical hats. His background as a pianist, organist, and church musician has led him in many unexpected directions throughout his career. In fact, his full-time work teaching at North Judson-San Pierre High School came to him by chance. His dry wit, penchant for sarcasm, passion for making music with and for others, and quirky rehearsal style have kept his students engaged in the learning process and have even led some of them to enjoy singing in the school choirs.

All while maintaining a high standard at his full-time job, Evan is the part-time Director of Sacred Music at St. Mary of the Lake Roman Catholic Church, where he cantors, plays the organ, and directs the church's small-but-mighty choir. He is also the organist for Catholic Masses at Culver Academies.

Previously, he was Director of Music at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Shawnee, Kansas, where he oversaw all facets of the parish music ministry, including the children’s choir, teen choir, and adult choirs. He also has served in various musical capacities at Ss. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in North Judson, St. Luke Community Church in San Pierre, and First Presbyterian Church in Martinsville.

He holds a Master of Music Degree in Organ Performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington (2016), and a Bachelor of Music Degree in Organ Performance from Valparaiso University (2010). During his course work, in addition to studying organ, he studied choral conducting and harpsichord.

He’s not only interested in music. In the summer, you’ll find him working on landscaping projects around his home, tackling some remodeling projects, or tinkering with his small collection of pipe and reed organs. He often includes his wife, Mary, and their four children in his hobbies, much to their chagrin.