A dedicated advocate for the championing and advancement of musical arts, Dr. Madeline Harts was appointed as the Executive Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus in July 2022.
Harts is a Western New York native who has been involved with the BPC for over a decade, both as a singer and administrator. Prior to promotion, she was the Associate Director of Development and Administration for the organization. Her background as an administrator, educator, and singer, combined with a passion for choral and vocal music, lends to a comprehensive understanding of arts organizations and their role in our society.
Previously, Harts served as the Director of Community Engagement and Assistant Director of Education for the Toledo Opera Company. She also worked in Development for the company. As a music educator, Harts has held voice faculty positions at SUNY Fredonia School of Music, Niagara University, and University at Buffalo, as well as a teacher for the Miami Conservatory of Music, University of Miami Frost School of Music, Bowling Green State University, and the Bowling Green State University Summer Vocal Institute. In addition to her responsibilities with the BPC, Harts continues to teach; she also currently serves on the music faculty at the Buffalo Seminary.
With ten years experience as a performing artist, Harts has sung repertoire that spans the canon of classical music, from Handel to contemporary works. She was an artist for the John Duffy Institute of New Opera hosted by American composer Libby Larsen, creating roles for new works, and has performed opera and recitals domestically and internationally. Harts's research and performance interests focus on the compositions and pedagogies by women. In 2020 she was awarded a Presser Foundation Music Grant to study the work of two women composers, Liza Lehmann and Clara Kathleen Rogers, at the Harvard University Houghton Archives and British Library. She continues to give master classes and lectures on these topics, most recently at the 2022 National Association of Teachers of Singing Conference in Chicago, IL and 2022 Sam Houston State University Art Song Composition Festival.
Harts holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Pedagogy and Performance from the University of Miami Frost School of Music, a Master of Music in Voice Performance from Bowling Green State University, and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and Education from Ithaca College.