Maria Fuller
From Earl Grey, Saskatchewan, Canada, Maria Fuller is an internationally active performer as a conductor, pianist and trumpeter, and is also an acclaimed vocal coach, composer and arranger. As a conductor, Ms. Fuller has a wide range of repertoire and interests, from J.S. Bach to Steve Reich, from Richard Strauss to renowned Canadian composer, Elizabeth Raum. Equally adept in the opera pit and on the concert stage, she shows a winning charisma and infectious joy in her music-making.
In the opera house, Fuller has worked with the Saskatoon and Cincinnati Opera Companies and most recently conducted Mozart’s La Clemenza Di Tito on the Main Stage series at the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Last spring Ms. Fuller served as Repetiteur and Assistant Conductor with Saskatoon Operas production of Die Fledermaus, and will return as Music Director next season. Equally adept in the ballet pit, Ms. Fuller conducted the Nutcracker with the TBSO and Minnesota Ballet last December. Maria is now the Resident Conductor and Chorus Director of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra.
At the piano, Ms. Fuller is a two-time laureate of the FCMF National Finals, of the CMC National Finals, and of the CFMTA National Finals in Canada. More recently, Maria has soloed with the Longview Symphony, TX, Cincinnati Ballet, the CCM Philharmonia and the CCM Chamber Players. As an orchestral pianist, Fuller has performed with the Kentucky, Cincinnati, Longview, Richmond, Regina, and Thunder Bay symphonies. In 2010, she was selected as the principal pianist for the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. As a chamber musician, Fuller has performed throughout Europe and North America and was a semi-finalist in the Fischoff National Chamber Competition in Indiana, and in the Plowman Chamber Music Competition in Missouri with her piano trio, Geistrio. Maria performs art song, and enjoys collaborating on recitals and projects. Last January, she and American trumpeter Chase Hawkins released a CD together: “Great Southern Land,” under the PARMA Navona Recording Label.
For three consecutive years, Maria won the brass title in the Saskatchewan Provincial Finals, and has received praise throughout North America for her work on trumpet. She has played with the Regina, and Thunder Bay symphonies, and other regional ensembles. Most recently she wrote a piece for trumpet, piano and strings, titled “Fractals No. 1,” which she conducted from the piano at the Chautauqua Institute this summer with trumpeter, Aaron DuBois. In addition to composing, Maria is becoming increasingly recognized for her choral and orchestral arrangements.
On invitation, Maria’s conducting career began in the form of a third Masters degree, at CCM under the intense mentorship of Mo. Mark Gibson. In her first two years as a conductor, Maria received overwhelming acknowledgement. Amidst learning the craft, she was invited to audition with the Edmonton, Vancouver, Thunder Bay and Winnipeg Symphonies. She also received an invitation to attend the Hochschule in Munich, and to conduct at Des Moines Opera, Saskatoon Opera, the Regina Symphony, Saskatoon Symphony, and South Saskatchewan Youth Orchestra. Last summer she was the recipient of the 2019 David Effron Conducting Fellowship at the Chautauqua Institute, where she worked alongside conductors Timothy Muffitt, JoAnn Falletta, and Rossen Milanov. In September 2020, Maria will compete in La Maestra International Competition for Women Conductors, in Paris. The jury selected 12 candidates from a pool of 220 applicants, representing 51 countries. She has also been invited to compete in the “1st Ferit Tüzün International Conducting Competition,” in Adana, Turkey, and “The 250th Beethoven Anniversary Edition VI Atlantic Coast International Conducting Masterclass & Competition,” in Portugal.
Maria holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano from McGill University, a MM in Piano, an Artist Diploma in Operatic Coaching, and a MM in Orchestral Conducting at CCM.
