University of North Texas 
Matt Carlson
Choral Studies
Conductor, Chorale
Associate Conductor, A Cappella
217
Music Building
Matt Carlson is an engaging and energetic conductor, teacher, composer, and vocalist. As a conductor,
he fosters a collaborative environment with singers to create meaningful and thoughtful
choral artistry. He draws on his vast experience teaching in public schools, community
choirs, and collegiate ensembles to compose works that are both musically enriching
and accessible to singers of all ability levels. His music has been commissioned by
school, community, and collegiate choirs, programmed for choral festivals across the
nation, and is published by Santa Barbara, Walton, and Alfred.
As a public school teacher and musician in south central Pennsylvania for eleven years, Matt continued the high quality choral music making tradition of the area. He served as a secondary vocal music teacher in the Bermudian Springs School District (York Springs, PA), where he taught choirs and general music classes. The Bermudian Springs Choirs were known for memorable performances, including at the Capitol Building in Harrisburg, PA and performing as an opening act for the rock band Foreigner in 2022. For the first nine years in this position, he also taught fourth grade general music and choir, sharing in their joy of making choral music for the first time.
As a public school teacher and musician in south central Pennsylvania for eleven years, Matt continued the high quality choral music making tradition of the area. He served as a secondary vocal music teacher in the Bermudian Springs School District (York Springs, PA), where he taught choirs and general music classes. The Bermudian Springs Choirs were known for memorable performances, including at the Capitol Building in Harrisburg, PA and performing as an opening act for the rock band Foreigner in 2022. For the first nine years in this position, he also taught fourth grade general music and choir, sharing in their joy of making choral music for the first time.
A large portion of Matt’s impact on choral music in Pennsylvania was through his work with Gettysburg Children’s Choir. He served as artistic director of Gettysburg Children's Choir from 2022 to 2024, and was a dedicated contributor to the organization for his entire career. He was an intern with the program as an undergrad, served as interim artistic director for three separate semesters, and as assistant director for their summer choir camp for 12 years. As artistic director, he led the program in performances at two state-wide music conferences. The Chamber Chorale, made up of students in grades 9-12, performed at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association State Conference in April 2023. Their highly acclaimed performance was described as "a masterclass in programming" by Tina Bennett, a past-president of PMEA. In August 2023, Gettysburg Children's Choir & Chamber Chorale performed as part of the opening concert for the American Choral Directors Association of Pennsylvania's Summer Conference. Matt actively served the larger music community in Pennsylvania as the vice president of the Adams County Music Educators Association, the PMEA District 7 Choral Audition Recording Chair, and the ACDA-PA Children's & Community Youth Choir Repertoire & Resources Chair.
Matt is a graduate of Gettysburg College (B.S. Music Education) and Michigan State University (M.M. Choral Conducting). He currently studies at the University of North Texas, where he conducts the UNT Chorale and serves as the TA for the UNT A Cappella Choir, who will perform at the ACDA National Conference in March 2025. At this same conference, his composition “The Little Creek” will be performed by the National Middle School Honor Choir.