Rehearsal Conductor

When Seiji Ozawa said, “Jody really has a genius way of teaching,” he captured the essence of why she is able to transform groups of willing singers into compelling ensembles. Jody Simpson’s years in Boston with the renowned PALS Children’s Chorus, which she founded in 1989, were rich with notable performances and collaborations in Boston, New York, Washington DC and Tanglewood with Seija Ozawa, James Levine, Yo Yo Ma, Henri Dutilleux, Tan Dun, Raphael Frubeck DeBurgos, Keith Lockhart, and even Nathan Lane and Celine Dion. In the world of opera, Ms. Simpson’s young singers first appeared in performances of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Tanglewood She has collaborated with the Boston Lyric Opera for performances of the historic Carmen on the Common, Tosca, The Little Prince and La Boheme. A champion of composers and new music, Simpson has commissioned several major works for both treble and SATB choruses, many of which were premiered at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall to critical acclaim. She has conducted choruses at New England Conservatory (where she also received the Outstanding Alumni Award and studied with renowned choral conductor Lorna Cooke de Varon) and Harvard University. Since moving to the Monadnock region in 2006, Ms. Simpson founded Music on Norway Pond and has been busy conducting the Norway Pond Festival Singers, and the Jr Mints chirldren's chorus who made their Tanglewood debut in 2016 with the Boston Symphony. In 2017, she trained three members of the Jr Mints for a performance with the Tanglewood Music Center Festival of Contemporary Music. She also developed the Music on Norway Pond Concert Series for which she has forged a powerful connection with the New England Conservatory, featuring frequent performances in Hancock by their brightest stars. Simpson and Music on Norway Pond received the Ewing award  in 2023.She was also honored with the Alfred Nash Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award from Choral Arts New England, recognizing one individual annually who has made exceptional contributions to choral music in New England. Ms. Simpson received her B.A. magna cum laude in music from Dartmouth College and her M.A. from the New England Conservatory where she studied with Lorna Cooke deVaron. She is a resident of Hancock, NH..