Dr. Riikka Pietiläinen Caffrey holds the position of Associate Professor of the Practice and Director of Choral and Vocal Performance. Dr. Riikka was born in Kemi, Finland, and sang and toured with the acclaimed Finnish choir Philomela. She immigrated to the US to pursue music studies. While in New York, she founded and conducted Las Sirenas, a women’s chamber choir, at the City College of New York, premiering works by American and Finnish composers. She has held academic positions at American University in Beirut, Lebanon, Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA, and Bunker Hill Community College in Boston. Dr. Caffrey holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Jazz Performance from the City College of City University of New York, Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Choral Conducting from the University of Colorado.
Dr. Riikka is frequently invited as a soloist, adjudicator, and guest clinician for schools and choral ensembles, both in Europe and the United States. Riikka's research interests include holistic choral experience, cross-disciplinary artistic collaborations, and redefining the choral canon. She recently participated in a collaborative trio The String Only She Could Play, with Dr. Proshot Kalami and Felice Pomeranz from Berklee College of Music. This trio incorporated music and poetry written by women, and blended styles from Baroque to jazz. Her other recent collaborations include projects with poet Rhina Espaillat, composer Kristin Vining, Finnish choreographer Laura Pietiläinen, and pop artist Rie Daisies. Dr. Riikka is also the artistic director of Boston based chamber ensemble Coro Ignis, and Bridges ESOL Chorus at Boston Public Library.
Dr. Riikka’s articles have appeared in American and Australian choral journals. Her compositions and arrangements have been published with Alliance Music Publications and Kandinsky Music.
