BIOGRAPHY
Emily Shumway Pfeifer was born and raised on the north shore of O’ahu, Hawaii. Emily's first professional performing job was in high school as a dancer at the Polynesian Cultural Center's Night Show, the top-rated show in Hawaii. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Brigham Young University and a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Butler University. At BYU Mrs. Pfeifer studied conducting with Dr. Ronald Staheli and at BU she studied with Henry Leck and Dr. Eric Stark. Emily has performed as a singer/dancer/actor, as well as chorus conductor, in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the South Pacific, and in the United States, and is fluent in German and Spanish. While living in Indiana from 2006-2008 she worked as the Butler Women’s Glee Conductor and the Artistic Director of Bloomington Opera & Oratorio conducting choral masterworks including Handel’s Messiah, Faure’s Requiem and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms.
Mrs. Pfeifer was formally introduced to barbershop music in the fall of 2008 when she was hired as the Artistic Director of Sweet Adelines International’s Bella Voce Show Chorus in Craig, Colorado. During her three years as director, she led the ensemble to three First-Place titles at the SAI Seven-State Annual Regional contest, as well as on a performing tour to Hawaii in 2011. An award-winning soprano, Mrs. Pfeifer ran a performance studio in Colorado for nine years specializing in Musical Theater and Opera Reviews. She served for three years on the City of Grand Junction Commission for Arts and Culture, and during her time in the city she produced the annual Holiday Fundraiser Show for Hope West Hospice which created over $600,000 in revenue for the organization. In addition to often conducting local church choirs, Emily was the Regional Artistic Director over a five-stake multi-media production, featuring over 700 youth from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, entitled 18 Lives and The Book of Mormon: Embracing the Power of Jesus Christ. This two-year project culminated in 2014 with five sold-out performances at the Two Rivers Convention Center in Grand Junction, Colorado -- the largest event in the facility's history.
Soon after moving to Utah, Emily joined forces with the Morgan Valley Chamber Orchestra to prepare the chorus and conduct the performance of the first-annual Messiah in Morgan Valley. This event led to the formation of the Morgan Valley Chamber Singers in 2019 who will continue to perform choral masterworks with the MVCO under the direction of Mrs. Pfeifer. In 2022 Emily became a founding board member of the Morgan Valley Arts Council (www.morganvalleyarts.org). Her first assignment, as the board member over MVAC-sponsored productions, was to organize a first-annual Arts Extravaganza. Together with a team of volunteers, Mrs. Pfeifer coordinated this historic coming together of the valley’s visual, literary, culinary, and performing artists at Morgan High School featuring over 500 all-local members of the arts community in exhibits and expos as well as in a performing arts showcase. Most recently, Mrs. Pfeifer conducted highlights from Rob Gardner’s Lamb of God with the Rosehill Ward Choir and Friends made up of a 60-voice chorus, instrumental ensemble, soloists, and narrators.
Some of Mrs. Pfeifer’s other significant life experiences include serving an 18-month mission to Austria for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and working as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer for two years in Panama. Mrs. Pfeifer is professionally affiliated with the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the American Choral Directors’ Association and the National Music Honors Society Pi Kappa Lambda. Emily is also a Blue Diamond Leader in doTERRA International specializing in essential oils for singers and families, powerful presentation skills, and successful entrepreneurship from home. She and her husband Jon have three sons and a mini schnauzer.
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