Matt Carlson (b. 1991) is a graduate student at the University of North Texas, where he is doctoral candidate in choral conducting. He taught in the Pennsylvania public schools for eleven years and has conducted choirs from elementary through college ages. He draws on this experience to compose works that are both musically enriching and accessible to singers of all ability levels. His music has been commissioned by school, community, and collegiate choirs and programmed for choral festivals across the nation.
As a public school teacher and musician in south central Pennsylvania, Matt had a wide impact on choral music making for eleven years. He served as a secondary vocal music teacher in the Bermudian Springs School District (York Springs, PA). The classes he taught include the Concert Choir (SATB non-auditioned), Eagle Singers (auditioned select ensemble), Volare (treble choir), and electives in popular music, world music, and guitar. He also served as the music director for the spring musicals, where he led a team of talented theater artists in the area to create high quality productions year after year. While at Bermudian Springs, he also taught fourth grade general music and choir for nine years. He adored working with the fourth grade choir, inspiring a new generation of choral singers each and every year by recruiting them in music classes. Sharing in their joy of making music in a choir for the first time was a highlight of each school year. Later on, he continued this foundational work by teaching the seventh and eighth grade choir at the middle school. He collaborated with students to create meaningful and thoughtful choral art in concert performances, providing a vehicle for musical expression as student navigate adolescence. In 2017, he received the Outstanding Young Conductor award from the American Choral Directors Association of Pennsylvania for his work with the Bermudian Springs School District music program. Matt served as artistic director of Gettysburg Children's Choir for from 2022 to 2024. Prior to this appointment, he was an intern with the program in choir, served as interim artist director for three separate semesters, and served as the assistant director for their summer camp. While he was artistic director, he led the organization to performances at two state-wide music conferences. The Chamber Chorale, made up of students in grades 9-12, performed at the Pennslyvania Music Educators Association State Conference in April 2023. Their highly acclaimed performance was described as "a masterclass in programming" by Tina Bennet, a past-president of PMEA. In August 2023, Gettysburg Children's Choir & Chamber Chorale performed as part of the opening concert for the American Choral Directors Association of Pennsylvania's Summer Conference. In addition to his work as a teacher and conductor, Matt actively served the larger music community of south central Pennsylvania. He was the vice president of the Adams County Music Educators Association, the PMEA District 7 Choral Audition Recording Chair, and the ACDA-PA Children's & Community Youth Choir Repertoire & Resources Chair. Matt is a graduate of Gettysburg College (B.S. Music Education) and Michigan State University (M.M. Choral Conducting). He currently studies at the University of North Texas, where he teaches the UNT Chorale and serves as the TA for the UNT A Cappella Choir, who will perform at the ACDA National Conference in March 2025. |