Meet Simon Tiffin, Music Director of CUTC’s “Ragtime”
Champaign-Urbana Theatre Company (CUTC) presents Ragtime: The Musical July 30 through August 2 at the Virginia Theatre in Champaign. Based on E.L. Doctorow’s novel of the same name, the multiple Tony Award-winning musical was written by composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens, with a book by renowned playwright Terrence McNally. To learn more about the show, we spoke with pianist, conductor, and singer Simon Tiffin, who is music directing CUTC’s production.
Simon Tiffin first came to Champaign-Urbana in 2015 to earn his bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Illinois. He returned in 2022 to assume the position of music director at Faith United Methodist Church before returning to the University to study for a master’s in choral conducting, which he earned this past spring. He has since become thoroughly integrated into the local performing arts scene.
In addition to his church job, Tiffin serves as artistic director of The Chorale, conducts the Chamber Choir of the Central Illinois Youth Chorus, sings in professional choral ensembles in Chicago, and music directs musicals with local theater companies such as Twin City Theater and the Station Theater. His first gig with CUTC was music directing The Sound of Music in 2024. He returned last year for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Ragtime marks his third show with the company.
Tiffin credits his first experience doing musical theater in high school with spurring his love of singing. “My junior year, our theater department put on The Music Man,” he recounted. “Since I was doing a little bit of singing in choir, I was like, well, why don’t I try? I ended up getting the role of Harold Hill somehow. That sort of started my fascination with singing and choir.”
When he came to the University of Illinois, the intention was to become a high school band director. However, when extenuating circumstances caused him to miss the band placement audition, he found a home in the Varsity Men’s Glee Club under the direction of Dr. Barrington Coleman. “The rest is history,” Tiffin said. “I just sort of fell in love with choral music in a very deep way, and my whole trajectory shifted basically from that point.”
He takes this choral background into his work as music director. While the production has a separate orchestral director who will take over conducting once the orchestra comes in during tech week, Tiffin is in charge of preparing the chorus and soloists in all of their music leading up to that point. “It’s akin to working with a symphonic choir, where you’ve got the chorus preparer, and then you’ve got the conductor who comes in at the end and does everything with everybody,” he explained.
Once tech week begins, Tiffin will split his attention between vocal director responsibilities and playing keyboard in the pit. For example, he will work with the orchestral director to ensure his tempos align with those the singers rehearsed at in the lead-up to tech week, as well as help the singers with the transition from keyboard accompaniment to orchestral accompaniment.
In addition to teaching the music, shaping the sound of the ensemble, and collaborating with the creative team, Tiffin said his most important job is ensuring the music supports the storytelling in every moment.
This is the first time he has been involved in a production of Ragtime, but he says he was already familiar with the show, particularly given the press around this year’s highly successful Broadway revival. Now that he is intimately acquainted with the score, he highlighted how well the music tells the story of three people from very different cultural backgrounds all in pursuit of the American dream in the early 20th century.
“The music is really special,” Tiffin said. “Stephen Flaherty does a really great job of weaving together a lot of different American musical traditions. There is obviously ragtime music present, but there’s also gospel influence, there’s Jewish folk influence, there are marches, there’s early Broadway, there’s classical influence—it represents a lot of different communities. One thing that’s beautiful is when the show starts, these communities are all presented as separate things in New Rochelle. As the story unfolds and we see these communities start connecting with one another, the musical languages themselves begin to interact with one another, and the motives start to weave together.”
“This is one of those rare musicals that doesn’t just entertain but also invites the audience to reflect,” he continued. “There’s something about the story and its implications that stay with you long after it’s done. It’s very impactful in that way. I think it’s especially relevant in today’s climate to think about what really makes America, America, and who all had a part in building this country, and what stories and perspectives should we be considering in that history. I think it does a good job of capturing many of them.”
Catch CUTC’s production of Ragtime: The Musical at the Virginia Theatre in Champaign July 30, July 31, August 1, and August 2. Tickets can be purchased here.
