From Sacramento, California, Maximilian Haft is a graduate of The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he studied with Masuko Ushioda and recently graduated with a Masters cum laude from the Koninklijk Conservatorium of The Hague where he studied with Vera Beths.
Since his arrival in Europe, Max has worked with several New Music ensembles including Ensemble Klang in Den Haag, Asko/Schoenberg Ensemble in Amsterdam, Musik Fabrik in Cologne, and the Soil Ensemble in Amsterdam. Max is currently a member of Ensemble Proton, Bern, and holds positions with De Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht and the Metropole Orkest. Further studies were at the Asko-Schönberg Ligeti Academy and in the Lucerne Festival Academy 2010- 2012 where he worked with Pierre Boulez, Peter Eötvös, and Ensemble Intercontemporain. Recently Max performed Witold Lutoslawskis Violin Concerto “Chain II” with the North Netherlands Orchestra.
Max is an avid improviser and performer of jazz and pop music, performing with White Hinterland, The Eef van Breen Group, and HHHJ, a group devoted to splicing chamber music and free jazz. He is a founding member of the folk/pop group Cuddle Magic and performs frequently with The Hague String Variation. Max is a recipient of the 2010 HSP Huygens Scholarship and was a finalist in the Storioni chamber music competition and De Link competition. He has recorded for Mode Records, Haenssler Classic, and FYO Records. Max has been a member of Ensemble Garage since 2012.