Edward Arthur “Ted” Shure is a versatile conductor, pianist, and educator who has served as the director of the Cuyahoga Valley Community Chorus (formerly the Cuyahoga Falls Community Chorus) since 2004. Under his leadership, the organization expanded into Cuyahoga Valley Choral Arts, Inc., establishing its own 501(c)(3) and launching the Cuyahoga Valley Children’s Choir to serve underrepresented youth in the Akron area. His tenure is marked by high-profile performances, including the group’s sought after performances at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Cuyahoga Falls, a concert for President George W. Bush, and regular appearances at Akron Rubber Ducks and Cleveland Cavaliers games, among many others.

Mr. Shure has served as Artistic Director for the Master Singers Chorale of Northeast Ohio and held Music Director posts for the Stow Chamber Orchestra Chorus and the Chagrin Valley Choral Union. An accomplished collaborator, he has worked alongside world-renowned conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Robert Shaw, and Claudio Abbado as a rehearsal pianist, and he has contributed to the local arts community as a bass section leader and rehearsal conductor for the Akron Symphony Chorus, a bass section leader and board member for Summit Choral Society, as pianist for the choirs at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, and pianist for multiple other school districts. He is also sought after as an adjudicator for competitions and festivals throughout Northeast Ohio and beyond.

Mr. Shure earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. His primary piano teacher was his father, renown performing artist and teacher, Leonard Shure (who once taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Cleveland Music School Settlement, in addition to appearing as soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra on numerous occasions). While at the Conservatory Mr. Shure studied choral conducting with Lorna Cooke DeVaron, voice with Mark Pearson, and composition with Daniel Pinkham. Throughout his career, he has refined his craft through master classes with legendary musicians such as Andre Watts, Josef Gingold, and Menahem Pressler, and has performed as an orchestral pianist with symphonies in New Mexico and Savannah.

Following his graduation from the Conservatory, Mr. Shure was the recipient of the prestigious Orchestra Management Fellowship Program through the League of American Orchestras. During the Fellowship he worked with the St. Louis, New Mexico, and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestras.

Prior to returning to his work as a full time musician in 2003, Mr. Shure held top executive positions in the Savannah, Greensboro (NC), Shreveport, and Alexandria Symphony orchestras, as well as Director of the Kent/Blossom Music Festival with the Cleveland Orchestra.

Active in several professional organizations, Mr. Shure is a member of the Music Teachers National Association (where he is the coordinator for the East Central District of the MTNA Composition Competition), the American Choral Directors Association, Chorus America, and the Steinway Educators Partnership.

Mr. Shure is a recipient of the Honorary Boulevard award by Mayor Don Walters and the City of Cuyahoga Falls, for his extensive volunteer work and commitment to the cultural life in Cuyahoga Falls. Beyond the podium, he serves on the Summit Christian School Board of Education (since 2013) and is an avid photographer, flight simmer, and digital artist. He resides in Cuyahoga Falls with his wife, Gina, and daughter, Kathryn.