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The American choral conductor and soprano singer, Maura Tuffy, obtained her Bachelor’s degrees in Vocal Arts and Choral Music from the University of Southern California: Thornton School of Music (2015-2019); and her Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting (2019-2021) and Master of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting (2021-2022) from the Yale School of Music. She is the recipient of several honors including the Robert Shaw Prize from the Yale School of Music, the Yale School of Music Alumni Association Prize, and the Vocal Arts Department Award from the USC Thornton School of Music. She has participated in master-classes with conductors such as Masaaki Suzuki (Bach Collegium Japan), Marcus Creed (Danish National Vocal Ensemble), Simon Carrington (Norfolk Chamber Music Festival), and Beat Shäfer and Markus Utz (Zürich University of the Arts). In 2019, she was one of eight conductors selected to participate in the American Choral Directors Association’s Undergraduate Conducting Masterclass, where she worked with Pearl Shangkuan. Her conducting teachers include: Jeffrey Douma, André Thomas, David Hill, Marguerite Brooks, Jo-Michael Scheibe, Tram Sparks, Cristian Grases, and Matthew Erpelding. Her singing teachers include: Sherezade Panthaki, Thomas Michael Allen, Lynn Helding, Gary Glaze, Kathy Price, and Adam Phillips.
Maura Tuffy has established herself as a dynamic leader in the classical music field. Described as producing “monumental” work (New Classic LA), Maura recently conducted a performance of Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles, which is set for more performances on the West Coast in 2024. A conductor and vocalist, she has a deep passion for and extensive experience performing early music, oratorio, and new music.
During her graduate studies, Maura Tuffy served as the Principal Assistant Conductor for the Yale Camerata (August 2021-April 2022), in which she prepared the chorus for works such as Julia Wolfe’s Letter from Abigail (Marguerite Brooks, guest conductor) and André Thomas’ Mass: A Celebration of Joy and Love. She sparked particular interest in performing new music while acting as both a guest conductor and vocalist for New Music New Haven from 2020-2022 and recently served as the Conducting Fellow for the Black House New Music Workshop in Los Angeles. She also was Associate Chorus Manager of Los Angeles Children's Chorus (September 2022-February 2023).
An avid ensemble singer, Maura Tuffy has appeared with GRAMMY-award-winning groups Los Angeles Master Chorale (June-August 2017) and Conspirare, as well as Yale Choral Artists, Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, and Audivi. She has sung as a soloist with the Yale Schola Cantorum (August 2019-June 2022), Yale Camerata, and USC Thornton Chamber Singers, and with prominent conductors such as Masaaki Suzuki, Gabriel Crouch, André Thomas, and David Hill. In 2019, she was the soprano soloist for Frank Ticheli’s Angels in the Architecture with the USC Thornton Wind Ensemble at Walt Disney Concert Hall. She was also Soprano Section Leader at Trinity Episcopal Church in Southport, Connecticut (August 2021-May 2022). She regularly sings with the acclaimed Choir of St. James’ in-the-City in Los Angeles (since September 2022).
Maura Tuffy's artistic mission is to catalyze interdisciplinary thinking in classical spaces and to encourage a more accessible and thought-provoking concert experience for broader audiences. Her work with DesMuse has challenged the ways chamber music is presented, and her work with choreographers/dancers from Ballet Hispánico and Ballet of Difference Am Schauspiel Köln has opened a new window for intersecting choral music and dance. She continues to forge new possibilities for this type of creative work by working with composers. Most recently, she conducted J.E. Hernández’s Desert Shelter at POST Houston with NobleMotion Dance.
Maura Tuffy currently serves as the Assistant Choral Director of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (since August 2022) and taught choral conducting at California State University, Los Angeles during the spring 2023 semester (January-May 2023). She currently lives in Los Angeles, California. |
