The 2022 Old West Organ Society Summer Series continues with a performance by Matthew Dion. Admission is free; donations are gratefully accepted in support of the Society.
Matthew Dion, 23 is a native of Somerset Massachusetts and a M.M. candidate in Sacred Music/Organ at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music where he studies organ with Daryl Robinson and serves as a musicology teaching assistant.
Matthew received his Bachelor of Music degree in Organ and a Minor in Music History at the OberlinConservatory of Music in Oberlin, OH where he studied organ with Dr. Jonathan Moyer, James David Christie, and Arvid Gast.
His other teachers include Jean-Baptiste Robin, Dr. Steven Young, Madeleine Grace, and Normand Gingras for organ; Erik Thompson for piano; and Mark Edwards for harpsichord and continuo. He has also traveled to France to coach with numerous French organists including Marie-Louise Langlais and Vincent Warnier.
Matthew additionally has been involved in masterclasses for many keyboard organizations including TheMontreal Organ Festival, American Guild of Organists, and the Westfield Keyboard Society. He has appeared in classes taught by Kola Owolabi, Cherry Rhodes, Peter Sykes, Christa Rakich, Nicole Keller, Alan Morrison, Ken Cowan, and Matthew Dirst. Matthew is also an active member of the American Guild of Organists, currently serving as sub-dean of the Southeastern Massachusetts Chapter.
Matthew performs as a solo organist throughout the United States. As a collaborative musician, he has recently been a featured accompanist and soloist with the West Shore Chorale in Lakewood, OH, the Oberlin College Choir/Musical Union, and the Oberlin Arts and Sciences orchestra. At Oberlin, he performed and recorded the Saint-Saëns "Organ Symphony" (2019) and movements of Cécile Chaminade's Messe pour deux voix égales (2021). In addition, Matthew is a founding member and organist in Reeds and Keys, an oboe and organ duo where he performs with his partner and oboist, Anne Pinkerton.
Some notable performance venues include National City Christian Church, Washington DC, Christ ChurchCathedral, Houston TX, Old West Church, Boston, MA, King’s Chapel, Boston, MA, Village Church UCC,Wellesley, MA, Grace Episcopal Church, Providence, RI, Saint Anne's Church and Shrine, Fall River, MA, Saint Anthony's Church, New Bedford, MA, Saint Mary's Church, Newport, RI, Saint Stanislaus Church, Cleveland, OH, Trinity Lutheran Church, Cleveland, OH, and Church of the Covenant, Cleveland, OH.
Matthew is a 2019 winner of the Audrey Mollard Scholarship for Organ from the Tuesday Musical Association in Akron, OH. He is also a 2019 Second prize winner of the AGO RCYO/Quimby Organ Competition (chapter round) held in Boston, Massachusetts.
Matthew serves as Organ Scholar at Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal) in Houston, Texas. In addition to his duties as organist at the Cathedral, he also serves as accompanist of the Treble Choir of Houston. Mostrecently, Matthew served as organist and director of "Music under the Steeple" concert series at FirstPresbyterian Church in Huron, OH.