Anything and Everything
Max Addae ’21's work lives at the intersection of technology and music, helped by Oberlin’s TIMARA program and all its extracurricular opportunities.
September 21, 2026
Stephanie Manning ’23
Photo credit: Courtesy of Max Addae '21
Three years ago, Max Addae ’21 took a risk and moved to New York City to live with his close friend and fellow Obie, Cyril Amanfo ’22. It was “a leap of faith,” Addae says — but one he’s so happy he took.
“ What's great about being in the city is that there's so much room for anything and everything,” he says. “I’ve been growing so much just by being here and being surrounded by so many different kinds of creative people.”
That willingness to embrace “anything and everything” isn’t new to Addae. He first cultivated that instinct at Oberlin, where he spent five years exploring new paths and finding his niche at the intersection of technology and vocal music. A Double Degree graduate in computer science and TIMARA, Addae has used the skills and perspectives he got from Oberlin to cultivate a freelance career with a little bit of everything.
As a high school senior, Addae felt pressured to pick just one career path despite feeling passionate about all sorts of things. “I remember Oberlin being such an attractive place for people who had a variety of interests and wanted the space to explore them all,” he says.
Eventually, he found himself gravitating towards classes in the TIMARA program, thanks in part to Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Aurie Hsu ’96, who was then teaching as an associate professor of computer music and digital arts. Hsu invited him on a TIMARA winter term trip to New York City, and it was there, immersed in the electronic music scene, where Addae started to think about formally applying to the major.
He further appreciated TIMARA’s formalized path and collection of students with diverse array of interests, from recording to production, electroacoustics and sound art. “Being in a studio class was such a huge thing for me — being able to have other people that I can look to for knowledge and support.”
Addae’s junior recital explored techniques involving live coding, the process of using a coding language to write music in real time, while his senior recital was themed around Afrofuturism and featured electronic music collaborations with students from the theatre and dance departments. The latter was complicated by COVID-19 restrictions, meaning he had to learn new techniques to record and collaborate remotely.
“At the time, it was such a pain trying to coordinate,” he says. “But it did give me some valuable skills that are still applicable today.”
Addae also kept plenty busy outside of his major, serving as music director for the Obertones a cappella group and performing in the group the Blackberry Poets with Amanfo and Mark Ligonde ’22. He also created songs and arrangements with Amanfo and Ligonde for the trio’s original musical Olympus, which was staged during Winter Term 2022.
After graduation, Addae joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, where he earned a master’s degree in media arts and sciences. As part of the Opera of the Future research group, he continued his studies within music and tech, eventually creating a unique string instrument called VocalCords.
“Most instruments have some connection between the physical touch of the instrument and the sound that comes out,” Addae says. So VocalCords, which is played while singing, allows the user to pull on a combination of three strings, adding different effects to one’s voice. “It’s almost as if you’re pulling on your own vocal cords and manipulating them in real time.”
Now living in New York, Addae’s time in the Obertones still comes in handy for his a cappella gigs, performing and arranging for the groups Backtrack Vocals and the New York Vocal Collective. He and Amanfo are working on new musicals.
In the meantime, he says he’s enjoying all the city has to offer — and picking up new friends thanks to the vast Oberlin alumni network. ”Once you meet an Obie alum out in the world, there's a natural connection there that is really special.”
Check out our Conservatory Areas of Study and learn about different ways to explore music at Oberlin.
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Renowned Organist David Hurd is Featured Artist for Annual David Boe Memorial Concert
During his visit to Oberlin, Hurd will give a public performance on Sunday, March 3 at 4:30 p.m. as well as a master class for Oberlin organists on the Fisk organ in Finney Chapel, Saturday, March 2 at 10 a.m. Both the master class and the concert are free and open to the public.
