Hilary Apfelstadt

Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt is Professor Emerita of Choral Studies at the University of Toronto where she held the Elmer Iseler Chair in Conducting and received the inaugural Teaching Excellence Award in 2013.  From 2013 – 2018, she was also artistic director of Exultate Chamber Singers, a semi-professional ensemble in Toronto. Previously she taught at the Ohio State University and the University of NC-Greensboro, after receiving her doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her teaching experiences range from public school to community ensembles to church choirs.

A native Canadian, she has led her university choirs in performances at conferences of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), and at Podium, the national professional conference of Choral Canada. She has guest conducted honors choruses and festivals through the U.S. and Canada, including more than 35 all-state high school choirs. She directed the 2014 National Youth Choir of Canada and has conducted choral festivals internationally. 

A prolific author, she has published numerous articles and book chapters. Her book on the life and work of Canadian composer Ruth Watson Henderson, I Didn’t Want It To be Boring (Toronto: Prism Publishers) won Choral Canada’s award for Outstanding Choral Publication in 2018.  

Long active in ACDA, Dr. Apfelstadt served as National President from 2007 - 2009 and as Interim Executive Director from 2020 - 2021. She has been honored with leadership awards from the NC-ACDA, Ohio Choral Directors Association, ACDA Central Region, and Choirs Ontario. She is also a member of NCCO and Chorus America.