Dr. Matthew Makeever
Music Director & Conductor

“His movement and control truly exemplify a performer’s artistry of twice his age and experience.”

Praised for his technical control, detailed knowledge of the score, and musical sensitivity in rehearsals and performance, American Conductor Dr. Matthew Makeever is the Founding Music Director and Conductor of the Milwaukee Philharmonic.  From 2019-2022, he served as the Assistant Conductor of the Salt Lake Symphony, and from 2021-2022, he was the Music Director and Conductor of the Taylorsville-SLCC Symphony Orchestra.

Matthew holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Montana State University, a Master’s Degree in Orchestral Conducting and Trumpet Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Doctorate Degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Utah. While earning his doctorate, he served as the Principal Conductor of the University of Utah Campus Symphony, and Assistant Conductor of the Utah Philharmonia.  In his first year of his doctoral studies, Matthew stepped in for the Music Director of the Salt Lake Symphony to lead the orchestra in their inaugural performance of the 2019-2020 season, and assumed major performance and rehearsal duties with the orchestra, as well as the university orchestras.

Matthew has directed a variety of orchestral, operatic, wind, and vocal ensembles throughout the United States.  He recently was guest conductor for the Menomonee Falls Symphony Orchestra (where he is currently a candidate for Music Director). He has collaborated with musicians of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, Utah Symphony, Austin Symphony Orchestra, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, The Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra, and the Beloit Janesville Symphony Orchestra.  Matthew was the 2nd place winner of the 2018-2019 American Prize in Conducting; Community Orchestra Division with the Milwaukee Philharmonic’s 2017 performance of Brahms’ Second Symphony.  His live-stream performance of Brahms’ Third Symphony with the Milwaukee Philharmonic in March 2020, when the pandemic took away live performances for over a year, was viewed over 5000 times, and shared by prominent professional orchestras around the country.

Matthew has been a participant in several respected workshops with world renowned teachers, including Diane Wittry, Sasha Mäkilä, Tito Muñoz, Peter Bay, Kyle Pickett, Sameer Patel, and Donald Schleicher. Notably, in 2017, he was chosen as the winner of the College Orchestra Directors Association Student Workshop Competition in Washington D.C. He worked extensively with the Hillsdale College and University of Tulsa Orchestras and participated in a masterclass with highly regarded pedagogue Anthony Maiello.

Matthew is active in the premiering of new works and is an advocate for the dialogue between living composers and the ensembles performing their works.  In 2019, Matthew led the Milwaukee Philharmonic in the premiere performance of Wisconsin Composer Penny Corris’s First Symphony, and lead the orchestra in the world-premiere of her Second Symphony in their first post-pandemic performance in July of 2021.  Under his direction, the Milwaukee Philharmonic was the first orchestra to perform at the Village Park Amphitheater in Menomonee Falls, WI.  Matthew was also chosen to conduct the winning work of the University of Utah composition competition, and gave the world premiere of Zheng Zhou’s Loess for orchestra and fixed multimedia, which is currently being published by Universal Edition.

Matthew studied conducting with Dr. Jun Kim while at UW-Milwaukee, and with Dr. Robert Baldwin at the University of Utah.

The Orchestra

Winds

Flute
Tatiana Pearson, Principal
Angela Krainz Bartosik, Associate Principal

Piccolo
Olivia Dobbs
Jen Burke

Oboe
Josh Guarisco, Principal
Kimberly Hawkinson, Associate Principal
Samantha Carr

Clarinet
Sabrina Pedersen, Co-Principal
Ali Frana, Co-Principal
Amy Butler

Bassoon
Adam Theune, Principal
Andrea Clark, Associate Principal
Rosalie Avery
André Januário

Contrabassoon
Krystal Rutzen
Andrea Clark

Brass and Percussion

French Horn
Andrew Slembarski, Principal
Laura Clausing
Evan Chancellor
Liz Ehlert

Trumpet
Steven Ehrhardt II, Principal
Krystal Esty
Adam Fisher
Mat Twieg

Trombone
Emmy Rozanski, Principal
William Akers
Samantha Phipps

Bass Trombone
Dustin Zimmerman, Principal

Tuba
Andy Hacker, Principal

Timpani/Percussion
Colin O’Day, Principal
Michael Mularski

Strings

Violin
Abigail Peterson, Concertmaster
Erika Guenther
Anne Hafenstein
Tiffany Chang
Lynn Pietsch
Kristen Tan
Alex Fisher
Elizabeth Casciato
Zoe Phillips
Ian Burch
Sarah May
Jacki Thering
Amanda Kieturkus
Denice Haney
Alexa Aldridge
Beth-Ann Piette

Viola
Carlos Orozsco, Principal
Evan Lane
Catherine Krause
Denice Haney
Lindsay Sheridan
Ed Coster
Stephanie Rodgers

Strings (continued)

Cello
Aidan Hogan, Principal
Jackie Oakes
Britney Whiting
Yeng Thao
Emma Zei
Anna Herrera
Melissa Mularski

Bass
Josh Kimball, Principal
Dean Sulok
Braden Sulok
 

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