The 2020/21 season marks Matthew Salvaggio’s fourth season as Music Director of the Euclid Symphony Orchestra, where his responsibilities include conducting classical, pops and educational concerts, and his sixth year as Musical and Artistic Director of the University Heights Symphonic Band. He is also the conductor/co-founder of Orchestra 19, a 19th-century historical performance practice orchestra.

Matt was a 2020 finalist for 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.

As an artistic leader, Matthew has guided his ensembles through the process of becoming independent non-profit entities and has expanded programming with each of his organizations. In 2019, he established the Tom Baker Young Artists Competition with the Euclid Symphony Orchestra. The annual competition awards the winner a performance opportunity with the ESO and a cash prize.

An advocate for new music, Matt has helped commission nearly twenty works in the last decade from composers including Mark Camphouse, Anthony O’Toole, Michael Kallstrom, Kevin Walczyk, and Tony Manfredonia. Artistic collaborations include John Rautenberg (Cleveland Orchestra), John DiCesare (Seattle Symphony), Joshua Lauretig (Buffalo Philharmonic), Kyra Kester (Akron Symphony), Cameron Leach, J.c. Sherman, Emily Cornelius and ESO concertmaster Liesl Hook.

From 2014-2018, Matt served as Director of Bands on the faculty at Hiram College, and adjunct professor of conducting at Lakeland Community College. He is active as a guest conductor and clinician and has been invited to conduct local public-school bands, community bands, summer music camps and honors ensembles.

While completing his master’s degree, Mr. Salvaggio founded and conducted the Kent Intercollegiate Wind Ensemble – a community/service-based ensemble in Kent, Ohio. With that group, he conducted several world premieres and recorded two film scores. Matt has also served as Graduate Assistant Director of Orchestras and Graduate Assistant in Bands at Kent State University. In 2007, he was a guest conductor in residence with the Medina Community Band.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Matt earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from the University of Akron and a Master of Music degree in conducting fr