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Colin Ruffer

Pictured is Colin Ruffer.Assistant Professor
Coordinator of Private Voice

Contact Information

Education

  • M.F.A., Voice Pedagogy for Musical Theatre, Penn State University
  • M.M., Vocal Performance, Boston Conservatory of Music
  • B.M.E., K-12 Music Education, Winthrop University

Courses Taught

  • Private Voice 
  • Acting Through Song 

Background

Colin Ruffer is excited to join the Conservatory of Performing Arts as an assistant professor and coordinator of private voice. 

Colin received an M.F.A. in voice pedagogy for musical theatre from Penn State University where he trained with Mary Saunders-Barton. In addition to his graduate work at Penn State, he was awarded a full scholarship to attend the Boston Conservatory of Music, where he earned an M.M. in voice performance. His primary singing teachers include Mary Saunders-Barton, Rebecca Folsom, Norman Spivey and Jerry Helton.

As an educator, he has worked with Penn State University, Penn State NuMusicals, the Boston Conservatory Vocal/Choral Intensive, Penn State S.T.A.T.E., the Boston Conservatory of Music, Penn State Centre Stage, Matthews Playhouse, Central Piedmont Community College, Theatre Charlotte and The Edge Theatre.

Before joining the Point Park University faculty, he was a tenured associate professor of musical theatre and director of musical theatre at Christopher Newport University. His students are performing on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in film/television, in national tours in major performance venues, and in opera companies, concert halls and regional theatres around the globe.

Colin is a multi-genre artist with performance experience spanning from musical theatre to opera to radio tunes. Highlights include Into the Woods, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Falsettos, Cinderella, The Secret Garden, Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma!, Lil’ Abner, Anything Goes, Once Upon a Mattress, Die Zauberflöte, La Bohemé, Carmen, Our Town and The Cunning Little Vixen. Additionally, he has been a featured performer with symphonies and orchestras throughout the Continental United States.

One of Colin's passions is supporting new work development and providing space for voices and writers. Currently, he serves as the artistic director of the New Musicals Lab at the Ferguson Center for the Arts, with a mission of providing a space for new work development. Current and past collaborations include; Private Jones by Marshall Pailet, The Violet Hour by Will Reynolds and Eric Price, We Aren’t Kids Anymore by Drew Gasparini, True North by Holly and Kelvin Reed, Shitzprobe The Improvised Broadway Musical by Ali Reed, Kiki Mikkelsen and Adrien Pellerin, Collisions by Sam Rosenblatt and Elspeth Collard, Perfect Summer Evening by Brooklynn Baca and Riley Cohen, The Golden Record by Angela Sclafani and many other incredible new shows by talented artists.

Research Interests

  • Vocal Pedagogy 
  • Contemporary & Commercial Vocal Styles (CCM)
  • Musical Theatre Performance
  • New Work Development
  • Cabaret 

Professional Memberships

  • Actor's Equity Association (AEA)
  • National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT)
  • Musical Theatre Educators Alliance (MTEA)
  • National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS)

Selected Artistic Works

  • New Musicals Lab Showcase, 54 Below, producer 
  • We Aren't Kids Anymore by Drew Gasparini (World Premiere), music director 

Selected Performances

  • Symphony by Sea with The Virginia Symphony, featured performer 
  • "Albert Lennox" in The Secret Garden, directed by Tom Quaintance
  • My Grandma's Piano Bench, Ferguson Center for the Arts 
  • Wishing for the Sun, the Music of Drew Gasparini, featured performer