Dr. Stephen Bruce
Retirement of Steve Bruce and Susan Saltus
After 28 years as the Founding Music Director of Con Brio Choral Society, Dr. Stephen Bruce of Groton has announced his retirement, commencing in July 2025.
Dr. Bruce has directed the group since the organization’s founding in 1997. Under his baton, Con Brio has grown to be one of the leading choruses in the region, regularly performing to packed houses. Dr. Bruce has also led eight highly successful European Concert Tours. Following his retirement, he will not be leaving, but will join the bass section, and will hold the honorary title of Music Director Emeritus.
Also retiring in July 2025 will be Con Brio’s Associate Music Director Susan Saltus of Essex. Ms. Saltus has served in that role since 2009 with great distinction and has played many key roles in Con Brio’s success. (More information)
Con Brio thanks Stephen Bruce and Susan Saltus for their extraordinary service and looks forward to the 2024-2025 concert season which will celebrate their unique contribution, culminating in Gala Farewell Concerts on April 5 and 6, 2025.
Dr. Chris Shepard
Appointment of Dr. Chris Shepard as new Music Director
Con Brio is excited to announce the appointment of Dr. Chris Shepard of Clinton as its new Music Director, commencing in August 2025.
Dr. Shepard is a renowned choral conductor, voice coach, arts ambassador, pianist, organist, and distinguished Bach scholar.
In addition to this new position, Chris continues, now in his tenth year, as Artistic Director of Connecticut Choral Artists (CONCORA), the state’s oldest professional choir and as Director of THE COMPLETE BACH, a project which will be America’s first presentation of all of Bach’s works. Based in Worcester, Massachusetts, the project’s performances will occur over the next 11 years. Chris is also in his sixteenth year as Music Director of the Worcester Chorus in Massachusetts.
Chris holds degrees from the Hartt School, the Yale School of Music and the University of Sydney. He researched the performance history of Bach Mass in B Minor for his PhD; his dissertation won the American Choral Directors Association’s 2012 Julius Herford Prize for outstanding doctoral thesis in choral music.
Con Brio warmly welcomes Chris Shepard.
Dr. Stephen Bruce, Music Director
Dr. Bruce is the founding Music Director and Conductor of Con Brio. His conducting experience includes a wide variety of choirs and ensembles. At the college level, he has directed concert choirs, vocal jazz groups, and madrigal ensembles at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio, the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, and Hartt College in West Hartford, Connecticut. He has directed church choirs in Mooresville, North Carolina, Torrington, and Old Greenwich, Connecticut, Eugene, Oregon, and Wapakoneta, Ohio. He has taught in the public schools of Hartford, Connecticut and Eugene, Oregon.
Dr. Bruce received a B.A. in Music from Davidson College, Masters in Music Education from Hartt College, and his Doctorate in Music from the University of Oregon. He has studied conducting with Gerald Mack, Donald Plott, Royce Saltzman, and Helmuth Rilling. He has participated in recent master classes with Robert Page, Edward Bolkovac, Dennis Keene and Tesfa Wondemegegnehu.
Dr. Bruce lives in Groton, Connecticut, with his wife Abby and their two cats Allegro and Vivace. He recently retired from the position of Managing Editor at BLR Media where, among other things, his team published 500,000 newsletters per day.
