The Phoenix Bach Choir, regarded as one of the finest professional choral ensembles in America, is rapidly increasing its national and international presence.  The Choir’s musical offerings inspire, entertain and educate audiences and have earned the group a stellar reputation recognized by local, national and international critics. The Choir is equally dedicated to commissioning, performing and recording exciting new music as well as informed and sensitive presentation of traditional masterworks. 

With the release in 2004 of the widely-praised compact disc Shakespeare in Song, the Phoenix Bach Choir became the first North American Choir to have an album carried on Chandos, the world’s largest independent classical record label. Three additional Chandos CDs — entitled Eternal Rest, Grechaninov Passion Week, and sacred music of Joseph Rheinberger and featuring the Phoenix Bach Choir together with the Kansas City Chorale were released in 2006 and 2007, to great critical acclaim. Grechaninov's Passion Week received four Grammy nominations including Best Classical Album and Best Choral Performance, and won for Best Engineered Classical Album.

Audiences around the country have been treated to the sounds of the Phoenix Bach Choir through broadcasts on National Public Radio’s Performance Today as well as features on NPR affiliated stations including WFMT (Chicago) and WGBH (Boston) and around the globe including BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM in the U.K., and ABC radio –Australia. 

The Choir has been the featured choral ensemble at numerous regional choral conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, performing in Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis and in 2006, Salt Lake City.

In March of 2003, the Choir performed the West Coast premiere of Daniel Lentz’ Café Desire before a capacity crowd in San Francisco as part of the Other Minds 9 new music festival and has performed for Arch-Bishop Emeritus of South Africa, Desmond Tutu and the Governor of Arizona.

In addition to performances, touring and recordings, the choir is active in schools around the greater Phoenix area, providing its Bach to School educational outreach programs for which it received a nomination for the best emerging education outreach program by Chorus America. 

First known as the Bach and Madrigal Society, the Choir was formed in 1958 by Doctors Hal and Timona Pittman as a study group by devotees of fine choral music, particularly of the Baroque and Renaissance periods. Their living room served as the first rehearsal space. Since acquiring professional status, the choir has experienced phenomenal artistic and organizational growth, and now includes 24 professionally trained singers.  In its 47-year history, The Phoenix Bach Choir has been under the baton of Vance George, (San Francisco Symphony Chorus) Anders Öhrwall, (Swedish Radio Choir & Stockholm Bach Choir) Jon Washburn (Vancouver Chamber Choir) and currently, Charles Bruffy (also with the Kansas City Chorale.)

2007-2008 Personnel

Soprano
Dana Bender, Cassandra Ewer, Laura Inman, Alison Mauro
Carol Proudfoot, Riki Sloan, Danya Tiller

Alto
Cora Blouch, Lyndsay Ermeling, Rita Litchfield-Good,
Holly Meyer, Amy Perciballi, Kira Rugen

Tenor
Andrew DeValk, Erik Gustafson, Stephen Hickman,
Kevin Kriegel, Timothy Leffler, Joel Rinsema,

Bass
Sean Carter Campbell, Ryan Garrison, Joshua Hillmann,
Matthew Scott, David Topping, Phil Yutzy

Charles Bruffy is one of the most admired choral conductors in the United States. He is respected and renowned for his fresh and passionate interpretations of standards of the choral repertory and for championing new music. A leading interpreter of new works for a cappella choir, he is dedicated to commissioning and premiering works by contemporary American composers. Recent commissions and premieres include works by Jean Belmont, Matthew Harris, Libby Larsen, Zhou Long, Stephen Paulus, Stephen Sametz, Steven Stucky, Eric Whitacre, and Chen Yi. The Roger Dean Company, a division of the Lorenz Corporation, publishes a choral series under Bruffy's supervision specializing in music for professional ensembles and sophisticated high school and college choirs.

Critics have anointed Charles Bruffy as the next great American choral conductor. In 1999, The New York Times named Bruffy as a potential heir apparent to the late great Robert Shaw and in 1996, Bruffy was asked by National Public Radio to help celebrate Robert Shaw's 80th birthday with an on-air tribute. In 2005 Fanfare magazine called him “one of the next big things in American choral music.”

Bruffy has been Artistic Director of the Phoenix Bach Choir since 1999 and of the Kansas City Chorale since 1988. The choirs are praised for both their live performances and recordings. Bruffy’s eclectic discography of over 13 recordings includes music by Argento, Brahms, Corigliano, Gretchaninov, Martin, Mäntyjärvi, Rachmaninov and Vaughan Williams. Released in 1996, the Kansas City Chorale’s recording of Rachmaninov's Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Nimbus NI 5497/8), garnered praise from the New York Times stating "...a project that must be rated a serious contender for record of the year...the chorus is everywhere remarkable.” The Phoenix Bach Choir’s Shakespeare in Song (Chandos CHSA 5031) released in 2004 was lauded by critics and consumers alike around the globe.

A Board Member of Chorus America, Bruffy conducts workshops and clinics across the U.S., most recently at the Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey and for the National Association of Church Musicians Convention in Long Beach, California. Increasingly busy on the international scene, he most recently conducted performances of Verdi’s Requiem in Australia’s Sydney Opera House. Also an active tenor soloist, Bruffy performed with the Robert Shaw Festival Singers in recordings and concerts in France, and in concerts at Carnegie Hall. He is a featured soloist on the Robert Shaw release Appear and Inspire.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Loral Deatherage, President
Laura Ladrigan, Vice President
Kathay Ladrigan, Secretary
William Gary, Treasurer
L. Keith Cook
Claudia Kennedy
Darleen Kliewer-Britton
Lucy Meyer
Carol Platt Proudfoot, Singer Representative
Stephen Traverse
Scott Youngs

Drs. Hal & Timona Pittman, Founders

ADVISORS

Blanton Alspaugh
Donald Loncasty
Weston Noble
Dr. Harvey K. and Dorothy Lincoln Smith
Matthew Tresler
Dale Warland

STAFF

Charles Bruffy, Conductor & Artistic Director
Joel M. Rinsema, Executive Director & Assistant Conductor
Jen Rogers, Director of Marketing and Communications
Laura Inman, Community Engagement Coordinator
Brenda K. Mulkey, Concert Manager
Su Rogers, Assistant Concert Manager

CONSULTANTS

Liz Bernreuter, Development Consultant
Eric Sellen, Marketing Consultant