Matthew Ryan

Matthew Ryan is a viola and violin teacher and performer based in New York City. Born in Brisbane, Australia, Matthew holds a Master of Music from New York University, a Graduate Diploma in Music from the University of Queensland, and a Bachelor of Music from the Queensland Conservatorium. He has studied performance with Karen Ritscher, Patricia Pollett, and Graeme Jennings, and pedagogy with Meghan Todt Williams.

Matthew has experience teaching violin and viola to students of all skill levels. During his studies at NYU, Matthew studied violin pedagogy with Meghan Todt Williams, and was employed as an adjunct faculty member teaching violin and viola for non-music major undergraduate students. His students at NYU ranged in skill level from complete beginners, to advanced students comparable in skill to some music majors. Through his pedagogy training, and his own studies as a violist, Matthew applies concepts from the Suzuki method, the ideas of Dalcroze and Kodaly in early music education, and the viola teaching methods from Karen Tuttle and Bruno Giuranna. He also teaches concepts from the Alexander Technique and Body Mapping as a supplement to promote efficient physical use and prevent common injuries. This holistic approach to teaching allows Matthew to tailor a teaching program that meets the needs and skill levels of each student.

Matthew’s performance experience ranges from classical orchestral, opera, chamber, and historically informed ensembles, to contemporary performance practices including popular music, musical theatre, and studio recording. Orchestral engagements include; the Fall 2023 United States tour of the Emo Orchestra and Hawthorne Heights, “The Gathering – A Collective Sonic Ring Shout” with the American Composer’s Orchestra, a 2022 fellowship with the Next Festival of Emerging Artists, the 2019 International Tour with the Australian Youth Orchestra in Europe, China, and Australia, the 2019 production of Wagner’s Parsifal with the Victorian Opera and Australian Youth Orchestra, performances with the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra in China, a concerto performance with the Queensland Philharmonia Orchestra, studies with the Symphony and Broadway Orchestras of New York University, and the orchestras of the University of Queensland and Queensland Conservatorium.

Matthew has extensive experience in chamber music, covering a broad range of styles. As a member of the Kompass Quartet, he undertook a residency with the Craftsbury Chamber Players during their Summer 2023, season, was engaged with the Bread and Puppet Theatre in summer performances of “Deaf Beethoven,” a reworking of Beethoven’s Die Grosse Fuge op.143, has been contracted as a performer for conducting students to conduct, and has experience performing at corporate functions and weddings. He has been engaged in studio recordings, collaborating with composers and producers including Charlie Morrow, Richard Einhorn, and Lenny White, and with New York University’s screen scoring program.

I seek to tailor my teaching approach to the needs and goals of every student, with repect to their individual backgrounds and experiences that they bring into their lessons. I provide an equitable and supportive environment for enjoyable music making, open to students of all ages and skill levels. I seek to impart not only the joy of making music, but also the critical life skills that we learn through the process of making music, and how these skills and ideas can apply to all aspects of our lives, our education, and enjoyment of work and art.

I teach students of all skill levels, ranging from complete beginners through to advanced students. My teaching approach draws from the methods and concepts from Dalcroze and Kodaly, method books including Essential Elements and the Suzuki method, to the more advanced viola pedagogy of Karen Tuttle and Bruno Giuranna, the famous pedagogues who instructed my own teachers. I supplement this with concepts from the Alexander Technique and Body Mapping to promote efficient physical use and prevent common injuries. This holistic approach allows me to tailor a teaching program for each student that meets their needs and skill level.