Conductor
ABOUT
MARIA
Canadian musician, Maria Fuller, is an internationally active performer as a conductor, pianist and trumpeter, and is also an acclaimed vocal coach, composer and arranger.
Hailing from her 2000 acre grain farm in Saskatchewan, Maria's fascinating story speaks to her journey as a musician from the prairies to a conductor on the world stage. 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.
On invitation, Maria’s conducting career began in the fall of 2017 in the form of a second Masters degree, at CCM, under the intense mentorship of Mo. Mark Gibson. She had been finishing an Artist Diploma in Operatic Coaching at CCM when she was approached with news that she was a "born conductor," had "conductor written all over her," and that she would "have a big career." Never having lifted a baton prior, Maria accepted the challenge, and obtained a second Masters in Orchestral Conducting.
Ms. Fuller received overwhelming acknowledgement; amidst learning the craft, she was invited to audition with the Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Thunder Bay Symphonies. In her second year of conducting, she received an invitation to attend the Hochschule in Munich, to conduct at Des Moines Opera, Saskatoon Opera, the Regina Symphony, Saskatoon Symphony, and South Saskatchewan Youth Orchestra. She was also selected from a pool of 52, for the 2019 David Effron Conducting Fellowship, at the Chautauqua Institute, where she worked alongside conductors Timothy Muffitt, JoAnn Falletta, and Rossen Milanov. Finally, she received news that she had been accepted into her first conducting competition..
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 was also 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.
