A native of Regina, Saskatchewan, Peter Tiefenbach studied music in Canada, the United States and England. He holds degrees and diplomas from Minnesota’s St Olaf College, Northwestern University in Chicago, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Royal Academy of Music in London. From 1994 to 1997, Mr Tiefenbach was the host of the CBC Radio Two programmes The Arts Tonight and Radio Concert Hall. In 1997, he joined the faculty of the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music, where he coaches singers in the Artist Diploma and Performance Diploma programmes, and teaches a graduate level course in orchestral literature. He also serves as Director of Music for Toronto’s First Unitarian Congregation. Mr Tiefenbach has performed with many of Canada's leading singers and instrumentalists, and has toured throughout North America, to Japan, Hong Kong, England, Hungary and Iceland. With duo-piano partner Robert Kortgaard, he has toured extensively in Canada, most recently as part of Veronica Tennant’s Invitation to the Dance.
For nearly a decade he has been collaborating with soprano-comedienne Mary Lou Fallis, appearing with her in Primadonna, Primadonna’s First Farewell Tour, Primadonna on a Moose, Mrs Bach, and Ms. Mozart. The two have also created several new shows together, including Primadonna Does More with Less and Primadonna Choralis.
Among his recordings are Opening Day (Laughton & Humphyeys) for which he received a Juno nomination for Best Classical Composition, and Remembrance (Marquis Classics) with trumpeter Stuart Laughton. His arrangements can be heard on several CBC Records releases: Les Chemins de l'amour and Kabarett (Jean Stilwell) and the Juno Award-winning Azulão (Isabel Bayrakdarian). The new Opening Day recording People of Faith features seven of his hymn arrangements performed by the Canadian Brass and Elmer Iseler Singers.
His recent compositions include There is No Rose of Swych Vertu (for the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s soon-to-be-released Christmas CD), and Out of the Stars (premiered at the 2005 Hong Kong World Children’s Choir Festival by the Saskatoon Children’s Choir with choirs from China, South Africa and Finland). His latest work, Night Music (for the Borealis String Quartet). received its first performance at the 2006 Colours of Music Festival in