When  Seiji  Ozawa  said, “Jody really has a genius way of teaching”, he captured the essence of why she is able to transform groups of willing singers into compelling ensembles.  Simpson’s years in Boston with the renowned  PALS Children's Chorus, which she founded in 1989, were rich with notable performances and collaborations in Boston, New York, Washington DC and Tanglewood with Seija Ozawa, James Levine, Yo Yo Ma, Henri  Dutilleux, Tan Dun, Raphael  Frubeck  DeBurgos, Keith Lockhart, and even Nathan Lane and Celine Dion.   In the world of opera, Ms. Simpson’s young singers first appeared in performances of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Tanglewood. Her children joined the Boston Early Music Festival for world premiere performances of Johann  Mathesson’s  opera Boris  Goudenov. She has collaborated with the Boston Lyric Opera, for performances of the historic Carmen on the Common, Tosca, The Little Prince and La Boheme. A champion of composers and new music, Simpson has commissioned several major works for both treble and SATB choruses, many of which were premiered at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall to critical acclaim. She has conducted choruses at New England Conservatory (where she also received the Outstanding Alumni Award and studied with renowned choral conductor Lorna Cooke  de Varon) and Harvard University. Since moving to the Monadnock region in 2006, Ms. Simpson founded Music on Norway Pond and has been busy conducting the Norway Pond Festival Singers, and the Junior Minstrels who made their Tanglewood debut in 2016 with the Boston Symphony. In 2017, she trained three members of the Junior Minstrels for a performance with the Tanglewood Music Center Festival of Contemporary Music. She also developed the Music on Norway Pond Concert Series for which she has forged a powerful connection with the New England Conservatory, featuring frequent performances in Hancock by their brightest stars. She has recently been honored with the Alfred Nash Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award from Choral Arts New England, recognizing one individual annually who have made exceptional contributions to choral music in New England. Ms. Simpson received her B.A. magna cum laude in music from Dartmouth College, where she did her student teaching and was certified by the State of New Hampshire. After receiving her M.A. in choral conducting from the New England Conservatory of Music, she taught elementary and high school music in Brookline, MA. She is a resident of Hancock, NH.