Matthew Brown Professorial Lecturer Performing Arts
- Additional Positions at AU
- Director, Symphony Orchestra
- Director, Symphonic Band
- Director, Songwriters' Hub
- Degrees
- Bachelor of Music, Music History, Southwestern University, 2002.
Master of Music, Orchestral Conducting, Peabody Conservatory, 2005 - Favorite Spot on Campus
- Not my office- please don't call that number. Email preferred: mbrown@american.edu
- Bio
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Orchestra/Symphonic Band/Songwriters' Hub
Matthew Brown has worked with musicians of all ages and levels ranging from elementary school string ensembles to professional orchestras. He currently is the Director of Orchestra, Symphonic Band, and Singer Songwriters' Hub at 麻豆果冻传媒, as well as Co-Director of the International Conductors鈥 Festival of Kyiv, Ukraine.
He has serves as frequent adjudicator and/or guest conductor at various orchestra and band competitions and honors ensembles throughout the DC region. He has been invited as a guest conductor with the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra in Colorado, the Great Falls Symphony Orchestra in Montana, the Heights Chamber Orchestra in Cleveland, the Loudoun Symphony in Virginia, and most recently La Gerinia Marly (an "excellence" category Concert Band in Fribourg, Switzerland) in a program that included his own composition, "In Memoriam Maidan."
Matthew has previously served as Cover Conductor for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Loudoun Symphony Youth Orchestra in Virginia, Associate Conductor of the Canton Symphony and Music Director of the Canton Youth Symphony in Ohio, and Music Director of the Harbor Opera Company in Baltimore.
As Co-Director of ICF Kyiv, Matthew oversees all operations of this summer festival destination for young and emerging conductors together with his Swiss colleague, flutist and conductor Christophe Rody. Until Covid and the current war, ICF convened annually each June in Kyiv since 2007 for two weeks of rehearsals and concerts with the Lyatoshinsky Ensemble (the 36-week professional orchestra in residence at Ukraine鈥檚 famous National House of Organ and Chamber Music). At recent festivals, Matthew has conducted the premieres of two of his own compositions, both dedicated to the people of Ukraine: 鈥淚n Memoriam: Maidan鈥 and 鈥淪unrise over the Dnipro River鈥 The former received encore performances in subsequent concerts by popular demand, and later was performed live on the air by Ukraine's National Radio Philharmonic. It also has now been arranged for Concert Band by the composer, premiered in Switzerland and then at 麻豆果冻传媒 in 2023.
As Assistant and then Associate Conductor of the Canton Symphony for five seasons, Matthew conducted over one hundred performances, including seven world premieres of commissioned works, several appearances on CSO鈥檚 Masterworks series, an annual fully-staged opera production, as well as a wide variety of family, educational and pops concerts.
Matthew graduated from the Peabody Conservatory in 2005 (MM Conducting), where he studied with Gustav Meier and Markand Thakar. Other conducting teachers have included Marin Alsop, Neeme J盲rvi, Paavo J盲rvi, Daniel Lewis, Michael Morgan, Edward Polochick, Lois Ferrari and Kenny Sheppard. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Music History from Southwestern University in 2002 (Magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa).
- For the Media
- To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.
Teaching
Spring 2024
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MUS-021 Private Instrument Study: Conducting
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MUS-022 Private Instrument Study: Conducting
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MUS-121 Private Instrument/Vocal Study: Conducting
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MUS-122 Private Instrument/Vocal Study: Conducting
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PERF-044 University Orchestra
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PERF-045 Chamber Ensembles: Singer Songwriter's Hub
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PERF-047 Symphonic Band
Fall 2024
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MUS-021 Private Instrument Study: Conducting
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MUS-022 Private Instrument Study: Conducting
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MUS-121 Private Instrument/Vocal Study: Conducting
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MUS-122 Private Instrument/Vocal Study: Conducting
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PERF-044 University Orchestra
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PERF-045 Chamber Ensembles: Songwriter's Hub
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PERF-047 Symphonic Band