Deborah Benedict
The Marin Barbershop Chorus is very fortunate to be under the musical direction of Deborah Benedict.
Deborah comes from a musical theater family and has dedicated her life to singing. She graduated from Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA, and received her Masters in Voice degree from The New England Conservatory. Originally trained as an opera singer, Deborah first appeared as an apprentice with the Santa Fe Opera Company. She then performed with various opera groups in San Francisco, Berkeley, Long Beach, and at Harvard. She also received awards from Fresno Lyric Opera, Hollywood Opera Club, and her alma mater, The New England Conservatory.
Deborah maintains an active teaching schedule, instructing in voice, opera workshops, and musical theater workshops at U.C. Berkeley, San Francisco State University, and Dominican University. She is the choral contractor for Skywalker Ranch, singing in and assembling choruses for videos and movies. She has also been the musical director at Saint Patrick’s Church in Larkspur for over 12 years, and conductor of the Rodef Shalom Choir for the High Holy Days at the Marin Civic Center for more than 15 years. Furthermore, Deborah has directed musical classics including the Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, and Kiss Me Kate for several years with the West Marin Players at Pt. Reyes and the Marin Musical Theater Company.
Since Deborah began directing the Marin Barbershop Chorus in 2018, she has developed a deep appreciation of the barbershop style. Her enthusiasm for the singing was further reinforced by her attendance at Harmony University in 2019. Since then, her passion for the subtleties and nuances of the cappella style has continued to grow.
It is with great enthusiasm that she looks forward to continuing the singing tradition of the Marin Barbershop Chorus.
