Maximiliano Fernández Escalona is a tenor from Apex, North Carolina. He studies voice in the studio of Dr. Byron Jones. Max is a junior music education major with a choral/general emphasis, and is pursuing a Performance Certificate (Voice) and an accelerated Master of Science in Performing Arts Leadership & Management. Previous roles at Shenandoah Conservatory include choir in Acis and Galatea, and Bill Clinton in the original production Caged Birds. He is also an applied lesson instructor for voice at Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy. In addition to singing, Max is a composer and researcher. He has been recognized by both Shenandoah Conservatory and the North Carolina and Virginia Music Educators Associations for his compositions, and received first place for his literature review, Teaching Trans* Singers, at the 2024 Shenandoah University Research Expo.