Written By Georgina Murphy

By day, he’s a science teacher; by night, he writes musicals, records albums, has attended over 1,200 concerts, and ponders the life of Charles Darwin. Upper School science teacher Mr. Michael Hirsch has always had a strong passion for music and science, and while many fail to see the similarities between the two disciplines, Hirsch views science and music not as opposites, but rather as two sides of the same experiment.

Throughout his life, Hirsch has been an avid scientist. During his time at college he studied molecular biology and later worked on developing drugs for metabolic diseases.  Throughout his studies and research, Hirsch wanted to become a teacher to share his passion for science with kids. Hirsch explained that he only has one hour to make his students’ days better, so he tries to make his class as interesting and engaging as possible.

Not only does Hirsch make discoveries in the lab, but he also has plenty of surprises in the recording studio. Hirsch has recorded five complete studio albums with around twelve songs on each. Hirsch’s most recent album is One Long Day, which he released in November of 2024. Hirsch says that each song on One Long Day talks about a different form of anxiety, and he wrote it as a way to “exorcise all my demons.” One Long Day was his final pop album, as he is moving to other exciting projects.

Currently, Hirsch is in the midst of writing a musical entitled The Naturalist. The Naturalist follows the story of Charles Darwin, beginning with his graduation from college and ending one to two years after the release of his book, On the Origin of Species. The musical is mainly about the process of Darwin writing On the Origin of Species and the reactions to his findings. After around 2000 pages of research, Hirsch will be finished with Act One by the end of December 2025.

When asked what inspired him to write this musical, Hirsch says he has always loved musical theatre and wanted One Long Day to be his last pop album. He has also had this idea for around ten years, adding, “The thing that attracted me to this story is how unexpected it is.” Furthermore, Hirsch says that, “The main lesson of the musical is that if you believe something to be true, share it because fortune does favor the brave, and the hard thing is the brave thing.”  Hirsch later explained that this is shown through the fact that Darwin did not have to share his findings on evolution (because he was financially set for life), and if he did, he could have potentially ruined every relationship he had due to the fact that his discoveries went against traditional Christian beliefs.

While he may have lived around twenty different lives, the two variables that have stayed constant throughout his life are music and science. Hirsch encourages students to take risks and challenge preconceived notions, as those risks can lead to something spectacular. At his core, Hirsch demonstrates that curiosity, risk-taking, and a love for learning can lead to extraordinary paths in both science and the arts.