The WFU Department of Music and Program for Leadership and Character welcome acclaimed choral director, educator, and author Dr. 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. From 2013–2018, she was artistic director of Exultate Chamber Singers, a semi-professional ensemble in Toronto. She served as Interim Executive Director of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) from 2020–2021.

Her teaching experiences range from public school to community ensembles and church choirs. She holds leadership awards from Choirs Ontario, NC-ACDA, Ohio Choral Directors Association, and both Central and Midwestern ACDA Regions.

A prolific author, Hilary Apfelstadt has published widely. 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. She is editor of a book on women choral composers to be published by GIA in 2025. She serves on the editorial board of Anacrusis for Choral Canada.