About
Biography
Duncan Tuomi (b. 1994) is a choral conductor and award-winning composer based in Los Angeles, California. He currently studies choral music in the Doctor of Musical Arts program at the University of Southern California (USC), where he also completed his Master of Music degree. In addition to his choral music degree, he studied composition with Dr. Frank Ticheli and Dr. Chris Rozé. He also holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Music Education from St. Olaf College, where he studied under Dr. Anton Armstrong and Dr. Christopher Aspaas, among many others.
Currently serving as associate conductor of the USC Thornton Apollo Chorus, in the years prior to enrolling at USC, Tuomi assisted with the leadership of numerous middle and high school choral ensembles around the Portland, Oregon area, worked as a soloist with Portland’s Bach Cantata Choir, and served as the Tenor/Bass Repertoire and Resources chair for Oregon’s chapter of the American Choral Director’s Association (ACDA). He has also worked full time as a choral music teacher at Sweet Home High School, as a section leader with the Corvallis Repertory Singers, as an activity director for the Oregon Bach Festival’s Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy, and as a performer with Eugene Opera Chorus.
As a composer, Tuomi was the winner of the 2023 American Prize in Short Choral Works, College and University Division, as well as the 2021 American Choral Director’s Association’s Raymond W. Brock Memorial Student Composition Competition. He was also a composition fellow in Choral Arts Initiative’s summer 2022 PREMIERE|Project. Tuomi has had works premiered by Choral Arts Initiative under the direction of Brandon Elliott, the USC Thornton Chamber Singers and University Chorus under his own direction and under the direction of Stevie J. Hirner, the Long Beach Youth Chorus under the direction of Stevie J. Hirner, the University of Portland Chamber Singers under the direction of Dr. Michael Connolly, the Pacific University Chamber Singers under the direction of Dr. Scott Tuomi. He has received commissions from the Long Beach Youth Chorus and was commissioned to compose for the 10th annual Brothers, Sing On! Tenor/Bass Choir Festival in 2018.