Cleveland Repertory Orchestra

Conductor Matthew Salvaggio is a dynamic artist dedicated to exploring and promoting new music, reimagining diverse orchestral performance experiences, and creating equitable access to music education.

He founded the Cleveland Repertory Orchestra in 2021 to explore the breadth of the orchestral repertoire, emphasizing new music and music by historically excluded voices. Additionally, the 2024/25 season marks his second season as Music Director and Conductor of the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra, where he conducts the Youth Orchestra and manages a team of conductors responsible for leading the other eight BYSO ensembles.

Upon the conclusion of the 2022/23 season, Matt completed several successful Music Directorships, including six seasons with the Euclid Symphony Orchestra, six seasons with the University Heights Symphonic Band, two seasons with the Erie Junior Philharmonic, and two seasons as Professor of Orchestra at Mercyhurst University. He has previously served on the conducting faculty at Hiram College and Lakeland Community College, and as Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and the Lakeland Civic Orchestra.

Matt was a 2021 Second Prize winner of the American Prize in wind conducting and a 2015 semi-finalist in the National Band Association’s Young Conductor Mentor Project. In 2019, he was a finalist for conducting positions with both the United States Army and Air Force Bands – an honor reserved for a select few each year.

Committed to increasing access to music education, in 2022 Matt announced an initiative to expand the Erie Junior Philharmonic’s Prelude program for beginning students to include opportunities for beginning woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. In 2019, he established the Tom Baker Young Artists Competition with the Euclid Symphony Orchestra. The annual competition, attracting students from throughout the Midwest, awards the winner a performance opportunity with the ESO and a cash prize.

An advocate for new music, Matt has commissioned works from composers including Mark Camphouse, Griffin Candey, Steve Danyew, Anthony O’Toole, Michael Kallstrom, Kevin Walczyk, and Tony Manfredonia. Artistic collaborations include Alan Baer (New York Philharmonic), John Rautenberg (Cleveland Orchestra), John DiCesare (Seattle Symphony), Joshua Lauretig (Buffalo Philharmonic), Ken Johnston (Erie Philharmonic), Kyra Kester (Akron Symphony), Cameron Leach, J.c. Sherman, and Liesl Hook.

With his ensembles, he has trained and mentored young conductors and music teachers, offering conducting opportunities, coaching, and mentorship to those early in their careers. He is active as a guest conductor and clinician and has been invited to conduct local public school ensembles, community bands, summer music camps, and honors ensembles. 

While completing his master’s degree, Matt founded the Kent Intercollegiate Wind Ensemble, a community/service-based ensemble with which he conducted several world premieres and recorded two film scores. Matt held graduate assistantships in conducting working with the orchestras and bands at Kent State University and was a guest conductor in residence with the Medina Community Band in 2007 while completing his undergraduate degree.

Matt holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Akron and a master’s degree in conducting from Kent State University where he studied with Scott Seaton and Wayne Gorder. He has undertaken additional conducting study in symposia with Donald Hunsberger, Mallory Thompson, Kenneth Kiesler, Craig Kirchhoff, Michael Haithcock, Rodney Winther, and Michael Votta.

Matt lives in Seattle with his husband, Joshua.

Learn more at www.matthewsalvaggio.com.

Updated June 2024