Hillary Tufford

Mezzo Soprano

Hillary Tufford was raised on a farm in Southwestern Ontario. She is currently part of the Yulanda M. Faris, Vancouver Opera Young Artist Program (2021-2022), where she has had the opportunity to perform Lola (Cavalleria Rusticana), Cousin Hebe (HMS Pinafore), and Berthe (Blond Eckbert). Hillary is looking forward to her Vancouver Bach Choir debut as the alto soloist in Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle.

Hillary is a bursary recipient from Les Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques, the RBC Emerging Artist Project and the Hazel Crydermann-Wees Foundation. She was featured on 96.3 The New Classical FM, as one of IRCPA’s “Ten Singing Stars.” Hillary was a finalist in The Mozart Project Competition and a Semi-Finalist in Les Nuit Lyriques Concours International de Chant de Marmande. She was also part of Tapestry Opera’s Dora Award winning ensemble (Oksana G). Other performance highlights include, Ramiro (La finta giardiniera), Clara (The Light in the Piazza), Despina (Così fan tutte), Nadia (Oksana G), 2nd witch (Dido and Aeneas), alto soloist (Messiah), and she performed with Magisterra Soloists for their “Forbidden Music” concert.

Hillary has worked with Jonathan Darlington, Rosemary Thomson, Simone Luti, Tyrone Paterson, John Hess, Lorne Richstone, and David Eliakis. Hillary is a graduate of Western University (BMus, MMus), where she received the Western University Gold Medal in Music, for graduating with the highest overall average.

Outside of performing, Hillary has an active music studio. She has students working professionally in the pop-rock and musical theatre spheres and she especially loves teaching teenagers and preparing them to go on to study voice at the university level. Hillary is also an avid runner; she has completed several marathons, including the Boston marathon and she enjoys playing soccer, hiking, and making friends with neighbourhood cats.