Workshop for
Upper Voices

Accompanist Suzy Ruffles

Passionate about the arts and choral education, Suzzie’s high-energy workshops have gained her an international reputation as a vocal leader, working with singers of all ages around the world. In demand as a chorus master, choral director and voice coach, she directs and sings with the critically-acclaimed female a cappella quintet Papagena, conducts the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain and is an adjudicator and guest conductor for many UK vocal ensembles and festivals. Collaborations have seen her leading workshops for the London Symphony Orchestra, Stagecoach, The Stay at Home Choir, Sing for Pleasure, ABCD and the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain.

Suzzie is Associate Artist at the University of Warwick, Vocal Coach for the CBSO Youth Chorus, Singing Teacher at the University of Birmingham, Schools Programme Leader for Music of Life Foundation working with children with disabilities, and a vocal tutor for Ex Cathedra Education, regularly contributing her own compositions to their set of music education resources, “SingMaker”.

Her career as a soprano has taken her around the world, performing and recording with some of the top UK vocal ensembles, and her award winning warm-up book ‘How to Make Your Choir Sound Awesome’, written with Lucy Hollins, was published by Banks Music Publications in 2022.

Suzy Ruffles took a postgraduate diploma in piano accompaniment at Trinity Laban, studying under Eugene Asti and Christine Croshaw. Following this she worked predominantly as a repetiteur and Assistant Musical Director for opera companies including Hampstead Garden Opera and Blackheath Halls Community Opera before developing her current specialism as a choral accompanist, formerly for Greenwich University Choir under Nicholas Jenkins and Jonathan Schranz and the Godalming Choral Society and currently for Woking Choral Society and Holmbury St Mary Choral Society, both under Cole Bendall, and as a dep for the Bach Choir.

During the pandemic, Suzy developed a side-line of recording learning tracks for choirs as well as for operatic and musical theatre roles. She also discovered a passion for church music and can be seen most Sunday mornings helping to lead worship at Woking United Reformed Church.

For more information, please see her website: www.suzyruffles.co.uk.