Friday, Apr 1, 2022
Conductor in residence April 4 - 8
by Anne Sears
Renowned conductor Charles Bruffy will participate in a one-week residency at Westminster Choir College the first week in April. From April 4 through 8 he will lead master classes and individual coachings with choral conducting students, and he will rehearse choral masterworks with the Westminster Symphonic Choir, Westminster Choir, Westminster Chapel Choir and Westminster Schola Cantorum.
One of the most admired choral conductors in the United States, GRAMMY® winner Charles Bruffy began his career as a tenor soloist, performing with the Robert Shaw Festival Singers in recordings as well as concerts in France and at Carnegie Hall. Shaw encouraged his development as a conductor, and in 1996 he was invited by American Public Media’s Performance Today to help celebrate Shaw’s 80th birthday with an on-air tribute. In 1999, The New York Times named him as the late, great conductor’s potential heir.
Bruffy has been artistic director of the Kansas City Chorale since 1988. He has been chorus director for the Kansas City Symphony Chorus since 2008 and was artistic director of the Phoenix Chorale from 1999-2017. He has been director of music at Rolling Hills Church since 1994. He conducts workshops and clinics across the U.S., including teaching at the Westminster Choir College Summer Conducting Institute since 2006.
The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has recognized five of his recordings with a total of 12 GRAMMY® nominations and three GRAMMY® wins, most recently in 2015 for “Best Choral Performance” for his recording of Rachmaninoff’s All-night Vigil.