Joseph Taff Appointed May Festival Choral Conducting Fellow

The Cincinnati May Festival is pleased to announce the appointment of Joseph Taff as the Choral Conducting Fellow for the 2019-2020 season. Taff will assist Director of Choruses Robert Porco in the leadership of the May Festival Chorus throughout the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra subscription season as well as the 2020 May Festival.

"I am honored by this opportunity to be the May Festival Chorus' new Conducting Fellow," said Taff. "I look forward to working with and learning from this excellent chorus and to being part of this unique organization."

Thanks to the foresight and generosity of Ginger Warner (a Trustee of the University of Cincinnati and Director Emeritus of the May Festival), the May Festival Choral Conducting Fellowship was established in 2013 in collaboration with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) graduate Choral Conducting program led by Earl Rivers, CCM's Director of Choral Studies, and Brett Scott, Professor of Ensembles and Conducting. Each year, a fellow is chosen from CCM's incoming class of doctoral choral conducting students.

"The Fellowship is a unique partnership among a world-class conservatory and renowned choral festival, allowing the student Fellow enhanced professional training in the choral arts with the May Festival Chorus and Robert Porco," said Rivers.

"The May Festival Conducting Fellowship provides us with an exciting opportunity to tutor young choral conductors in the practice of chorus preparation," added Porco. "We also provide the Fellows with opportunities to attend auditions and rehearsals, as well as Board and Artistic Planning meetings to gain knowledge of how a world- renowned Choral Festival is successfully produced."

"The idea of giving a fellowship to a university student that gets them involved outside of the world of academia is a wonderful and unique thing," continued Porco. "I and the whole organization are just so grateful eternally to Ginger Warner for being the patron of the fellowship. It's a great opportunity for the students."

Speaking directly about Taff, Porco concluded "I was very impressed with Joseph's audition and overall knowledge and poise. He has an interesting background as a guitarist-and has that 'something' in addition to a classical background-so I look forward to working with him."

Previous Fellows include:

• Jennifer Jun 2018-19

• Daniel Parsley 2017-18

• Matthew Swanson 2016-17

• Minhye Jang 2015-16

• Daniel Blosser 2014-15

• Marie Bucoy-Calavan 2013-14

Joseph Taff Conductor, composer, and vocalist Joseph Taff is a first-year D.M.A. student in Choral Conducting at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and is the 2019-2020 May Festival Choral Conducting Fellow. Originally from Boston, MA, Joe's musical career has taken him across the country from California to New York, before bringing him to Cincinnati. Over the past two years, Joe has conducted the Eastman Repertory Singers, directed small chamber ensembles as part of the Eastman Bach Cantata Series, and served as Director of Music Ministry at Mendon Presbyterian Church in Honeoye Falls, NY. Joe also sang professionally with the Rochester-based chamber choirs Voices and First Inversion. Joe previously served as the Choir Director at Santa Teresa Hills Presbyterian Church in San Jose, CA; Assistant Conductor of the San Francisco Bach Choir; and Assistant Director of the Amherst College Choral Society. Joe holds an M.M. in Choral Conducting from the Eastman School of Music and a B.A. in Music and History from Amherst College.

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