Shirley Leiphon joined the voice faculty at Concordia College in September 2018. Originally from Devils Lake, ND, she received her undergraduate degree from North Dakota State University in Music Education (Voice and Piano emphasis) and taught at Oak Grove Lutheran High School in Fargo, ND, before relocating to Boston to pursue her MM degree in Vocal Performance at Boston University. She also worked on her DMA in Voice at the University of MN – Twin Cities.
While in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area she taught at Apple Valley High as well as sang professionally with Minnesota Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Minnesota Chorale. Her vocal career also included solo performances with various regional, national, international orchestras and ensembles including Venezuela Youth Symphony, Oregon Bach Festival, Norman Luboff Singers, Masterworks Chorale in Boston, Dallas Symphony Baroque Festival, and several appearances as soloist at the NDSU Baroque Festival.
Outside of teaching, Shirley has an active arts administration career. She currently serves as the Relationship Director for Fargo Moorhead Opera. Prior to her return to the area in 2015, she lived in Boston, MA, where she held the position of Administrative Director for the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) for eight years and Associate Director for the Preparatory School at New England Conservatory for two years.