Rudy has been teaching music and conducting choirs
in school, church and community for almost three decades.
Fostering the love of music finds him working at both
the lay and the professional level, from leading workshops
on congregational singing to working with professional
arts organization. He and his wife Henriette live in
a quiet southern Manitoba town where his summer passion
is gardening.
Rudy did his doctoral studies in Choral Conducting at the University of Cincinnati, 1988-1989; received his Master of Music in Choral Conducting, University of Cincinnati, 1988; his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Wilfrid Laurier University, 1973; and his Bachelor of Church Music, Mennonite Brethren Bible College, 1970. He also studied choral and orchestral conducting at Nordwestdeutsche Musikakademie, Detmold, Germany, 1974-1978.
In addition to his work at CMU, Rudy is Co-director of the Mennonite Festival Chorus, (2000-present). He was the Artistic Director and Conductor, Winnipeg Singers (1999-2003) and a Professor of Music at Steinbach Bible College (1978-1994).
His recent conducting engagements include being Co-director of the Mennonite Festival Chorus, 2000-present; conductor of the CMU Singers, University Chorus, Men’s Chorus and Chamber Choir; conductor of the Mennonite Oratorio Choir, 1994-2003; and Artistic Director of the Winnipeg Singers.
Among the workshops he presents is the Singing Congregation, which is designed to find meaningful and imaginative ways to stimulate congregational singing through leadership training for music leaders, exploring music resources for corporate singing, and developing strong vocal and instrumental participation. He has also been a choral clinician to high school choirs for ChoralFest Manitoba and an adjudicator at music festivals in Brandon, Neepawa, Portage la Prairie, Thompson and Steinbach.
Rudy is a member of the Federation for Choral Music in Manitoba (FCMM); the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors (ACCC); the Manitoba Choral Association (MCA); and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA).
