TACTUS
Tactus (formerly known as the UMD Men's Chorus) is the popular ensemble for tenor/bass voices with repertoire spanning classical to contemporary.
With an astonishing diversity of repertoire that ranges from medieval chant to barbershop, Tactus is one of the School of Music’s most dynamic ensembles.
Since 2001, the ensemble has headlined numerous on-campus performances, including the annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and the UMD Tenor/Bass Invitational, which brings talented tenor/bass choirs from around the D.C. metro area for a full day of workshops, collaborations and performances.
Performance tours of the East Coast, South and Midwest regions have spread the reputation for excellence of Tactus around the country and the ensemble has now appeared multiple times at the Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses National Seminar.
Also a frequent collaborator with the UMD Treble Choir and the UMD Concert Choir, Tactus has appeared in performances with the NSO Pops (Do You Hear the People Sing?) and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (Brahms’ Requiem). On campus, the group has performed with the UMD Symphony Orchestra in the Mahler Symphony No. 2, Shostakovich Symphony No. 13 and Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody.
Tactus Conductor
Eric Beomjin Kim
Contact: ekim0507@umd.edu
Eric Beomjin Kim is a doctoral student and graduate assistant in choral conducting at the University of Maryland, where he serves as the conductor of Tactus (tenor and bass choir). Eric introduces himself as a nomadic conductor, enjoying an exuberant performing life in various venues across South Korea, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Iran, France, the Philippines, Romania, Kazakhstan and the United States. Eric is the artistic director and founder of the Seoul Empathy Choir, where he has conducted both children and adult choirs every summer since 2018. A passionate advocate for community engagement through music, he also founded the Empathy Choir Camp with 20 staff members to teach choral music to amateur choirs. Eric holds a master’s degree in vocal pedagogy and choral conducting from Westminster Choir College and a bachelor’s degree in music from Taylor University.
Tactus Assistant Conductor
Mary Shea Kealey Kustas
Contact: mkustas@umd.edu
Mary Shea Kealey Kustas is a first-year choral conducting master’s student at the University of Maryland. An aspiring educator as well as conductor, Mary Shea is entering her fourth year as assistant director for the Peabody Children’s Chorus. She is the lead teacher for Training Choir (ages six through ten) and also works with Choristers (ages ten through fourteen). Mary Shea also taught choral and general music at Redland Middle School and tripled enrollment in just one semester, while leading all three of her ensembles to receive ones and twos at festival adjudication and win first prize at Hershey’s Music in the Parks competition. Mary Shea graduated magna cum laude from UMD in 2020 with bachelor’s degrees in both choral/general music education and voice performance. She is thrilled to return to the University of Maryland School of Music, and continue to hone her skills as a conductor, educator and musician.