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The American soprano, organist and conductor, Deborah L. Friauff, began studying the organ at the age of 8 with Betty Kurtz. She graduated with honors from Interlochen Arts Academy as an organ major under Robert Murphy, and also studied viola with David Holland and voice with Kenneth Jewell and Carolyn Grimes (1976-1980). After completing Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in organ at the University of Michigan under Marilyn Mason, she was awarded the Georges Lurcy Fellowship for study in France. There she studied with renowned recitalist Marie-Claire Alain at the Conservatoire National de Région, concentrating on the works of Jehan Alain, and was unanimously awarded the Premier Prix d’Orgue with the felicitations of the jury. She was also a prize winner in the Chicago Club of Women Organists Gruenstein competition, and the International Undergraduate Organ competition in Ottumwa, Iowa. Friauff completed her DMA degree in organ at the University of Michigan under Robert Glasgow.
Deborah Friauff performs professionally as a soprano, organist and conductor. After her studies, she served as Director of Music, Assistant Professor of Music at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan (July 1994-May 2000); and Minister of Music at All Saints Episcopal Church in East Lansing, Michigan (Sep 2001-Jul 2004), where she was was Director of Adult, Junior and Handbell Choirs. Organist. Director of Performing Arts Series "Music at All Saints". Director of early music vocal ensemble Sine Nomine. As Director of Music and Organist at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Ann Arbor (since August 2004), she oversees six parish choirs (St. Andrew's Adult Choir, Compline Choir, Saint Dunstan Handbell Choir), organizes an annual concert series, and plans and executes music for all liturgical events in parish life, including a chanted service of Compline. She founded the St. Thomas Chant Schola in Ann Arbor and has also directed the early music ensembles Sine Nomine of East Lansing, Michigan, and the Ann Arbor Grail Singers of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Deborah Friauff has performed across the country in venues such as the San Anselmo Organ Festival in California and the Piccolo Spoleto Arts Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, as well as for Conventions of the American Guild of Organists and the Organ Historical Society. Her performance at the 1995 National Convention of the Organ Historical Society has been issued on the OHS label in a CD entitled "Historic Organs of Michigan".
As a singer who has focused almost exclusively on early music, Deborah Friauff has studied Gregorian chant at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana with Columba Kelly, OSB, and at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota with Anthony Ruff, OSB. Further studies took place over three summers at the University of British Columbia’s Early Music Vancouver Festival, where she was a participant in both the Baroque and Medieval vocal music programmes, studying with soprano Ellen Hargis and Benjamin Bagby of Sequentia, respectively. She has also coached with Frances Brockington, Jane Heirich and Wendall Bloom, and has sung soprano in the professional early music vocal ensemble VOX. She currently lives in Brighton, Michigan. |
