Story, Song, and Perseverance: Dr. Marques Ruff Inspires as Visiting Artist

KO welcomed Dr. Marques J. Ruff to campus as the 2026 Goodman Banks Visiting Artist, a residency that filled the campus with music, storytelling, and a powerful reminder that the path to one’s calling rarely unfolds in a straight line. Over several days, Dr. Ruff, assistant professor of choral music education and associate director of choral activities at Arkansas State University, worked closely with KO’s student musicians, leading vocal workshops with the Upper School Community Choir, Cantabile, and Choraliers, and mentoring individual student singers who would later share the stage with him.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week, Dr. Ruff worked with our Upper School and Middle School choirs, helping them improve their sound and performance for pieces, even adding the Upper School’s Community Choir to his assembly performance with their rendition of “Praise His Holy Name.” He made a deep impact on the singers during his workshops. They noted, “That was amazing,” “Dr. Ruff is such an incredible teacher and person,” “Can we do that again?

His residency culminated in a joyful school assembly that felt less like a lecture and more like a carefully paced performance—part concert, part conversation about perseverance, identity, and finding one’s voice. At the heart of the assembly was Dr. Ruff’s story, one that resonated deeply with students as they navigated their own questions about the future. He described his own high-school uncertainty, recalling a time when he was trying to figure out what direction his life might take. “I was trying to figure out what I was going to do in this thing called life,” he told students. At first, music was not the obvious answer. “I honestly thought I was going to study broadcast journalism,” he joked to laughter from the audience. “I thought I’d sit behind a desk and say, ‘Good evening, this is Marques Ruff with your evening news.’” But one moment changed everything.

During his senior year of high school, a choir teacher urged him to learn an Italian art song, an assignment he initially resisted. “I said, ‘I don’t have time for all that,’” Ruff recalled. “But little did I know how transformational it would be.” That song led to a strong audition for the Northern Regional choir and ultimately a full scholarship to Central Connecticut State University, launching a career that has since taken him to 37 countries and stages around the world. Yet his message to students was never about prestige or accolades.“What I wanted to find out,” he said, “was not how to be the best in the world—but how to be the best for the world.”

The assembly unfolded as a dynamic dialogue between Dr. Ruff’s reflections and performances by KO students. His stories about love, friendship, perseverance, and purpose were woven seamlessly between musical selections sung by student soloists and ensembles. His rich, resonant voice filled the room as he introduced themes that students immediately recognized in their own lives.

Seven student vocalists trained with Dr. Ruff virtually over Zoom prior to the assembly, who delivered memorable solos – from musical theatre classics to art songs. The audience responded enthusiastically, erupting into applause for their classmates after each performance. The performances included: 

“Deep River” – H.T. Burleigh (performed by Marques J. Ruff)
“Caro Mio Ben” – Caccini (performed by Annie O’Connor ’27)
“I’d Rather Be Sailing” – from A New Brain (performed by Leo Kollen ’26)
“Love Walked In” – George and Ira Gershwin (performed by Marques J. Ruff)
“I’ll Be Here” – from The Wild Party (performed by Gordon Beck ’26)
“Tomorrow” – from Annie (performed by Natalie Malinowski ’30)
“For Good” – from Wicked (performed by Danica Arwen de Dios ’27 and Molly Palmer ’27)
“Go the Distance” – from Hercules (performed by Marco Ramirez ’27)
“My Way” – Frank Sinatra (performed by Marques J. Ruff)
“Praise His Holy Name” – Keith Hampton (performed by the KO Community Choir)

One of the most powerful moments came near the end, when Dr. Ruff delivered a stirring rendition of “My Way,” a fitting anthem for a program centered on finding one’s own path. Then the tone shifted to celebration. Inviting the audience to stand, Ruff transformed the room into a spontaneous gospel chorus, encouraging everyone to clap, respond, and feel the rhythm together. The audience joined the joined voices for a joyful gospel finale, “Say His Name,” filling the Roberts Theater with energy, spirit, and joy.

Upon leaving the assembly, Upper School History Chair and Choir Director Davis Baker said he overheard three senior boy athletes who have never joined the choir say, “That’s the best assembly I’ve ever been to!” What a ringing endorsement for the power of music to move us all.

Thank you to the Goodman Banks for sponsoring these wonderful moments in our students’ lives, as well as Susan Carroll for piano accompaniment, Choir Directors David Baker ’04 and Thomas Griffith, and Technical Director Paul Merchant