Olin Johannessen joined the staff of St. John’s in July 2021 with the mission directive to bring the live in-person worship experience online so that SJC could continue to offer connection through worship to those who would not be able to physically come back to church in person as COVID-19 lockdowns lifted. Within a month, St. John’s staff was able to discontinue the all-consuming pre-production of virtual church, and instead deliver a beautiful live worship experience to online worshippers via our YouTube channel. 

As Director of Digital Content, Olin coordinates pre-production elements and manages the live production of our streamed worship services each week, develops and produces new content and series for the SJC YouTube channel, and coordinates special recording sessions for musical content offered outside of our weekly worship services, and works to expand the technology ministry team to include more parishioner involvement in the weekly live stream production elements. 

Prior to joining the staff of St. John’s, Olin served as Choral Director for grades 6-12 in the Portsmouth (NH) Public Schools for ten years, a role which positioned him well to join the team of teachers who lead the Choir School at St. John’s as Associate Director of Music. In this role, Olin works alongside Jennifer McPherson, Ashley Wade, and other staff teachers on implementing curricular elements and developing performance opportunities for the eager and enthusiastic music makers across both Dondero Elementary School outreach and on-campus versions of this free after-school singing and choral education program. Olin also collaborates with Jennifer McPherson on repertoire selection and musicianship training for our wonderfully dedicated Parish Choir, leading anthems whenever possible and assisting in rehearsals. 

In his role as Associate for Youth, Olin coordinates with a team of parent volunteers to seek out opportunities for our Youth program participants to join together, both for social and team-building experiences, and also community service opportunities. The SJC Youth program works once per month during the school year to prepare a dinner meal for both Cross Roads House and Dover Children’s Home.

Olin maintains professional membership in the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and the New Hampshire Music Educators Association (NHMEA), and holds an active Experienced Educator Credential through the New Hampshire Department of Education (NHDOE). He holds a B.M. in Percussion Performance and an M.M. in Composition, both from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Olin lives in Dover, NH with his wonderful wife, Ashley Wade, and his two sons, Easa and Amos, who are enthusiastic pianists and budding baseball players.

Olin is available for music education consultation, musical performance and collaboration, and some technical assistance. His personal website is www.olinj.com. 

Learn more about our Choir School, our Youth Programs, or visit our YouTube Channel