Cello with Matthew G.

Originally hailing from Long Beach, CA, Matthew Gustafson has been a top prize-winner in the American Protégé International Piano & Strings Competition and has performed as a guest artist on NPR’s From the Top radio program and on stages across the nation, including Walt Disney and Reneé & Henry Segerstrom Concert Halls (California), Sosnoff Theater at the Fischer Center for the Performing Arts (Bard College) and Carnegie’s Stern Auditorium and Weill Recital Hall (New York). He has participated in the Aspen Music Festival & School (2016), the Tanglewood Music Center (2017), the first International Piatigorsky Festival (2012), and the National Cello Institute. In lessons and masterclasses, he has worked with renowned pedagogues Richard Aaron, Darrett Adkins, Ron Leonard, Joel Krosnick, Clive Greensmith, Peter Bruns, Laurence Lesser, Anne Martindale Williams, Brinton Smith, Blaise Déjardin, and members of the Miró, Talich, Telegraph, Juilliard and Ébène Quartets. Ever the avid cross-genre collaborator, Matthew has shared the stage with various non-classical acts, including multiple national tours with folk & blues artist Josh Garrels in 2016-2017, an appearance with rock legend Steve Miller, and recording work with Nashville studio writer, Vernon Rust. Gustafson is a tenured member of the Austin Symphony, regularly performs with wedding contractors Terra Vista Strings & Barton Strings, and has seen engagements with Austin Camerata, Feverup’s Candlelight Concerts, the Central Texas Philharmonic, and at various churches throughout Central and Southeast Texas. His principal teachers include Rick Mooney, Sarah Koo, Norman Fischer, and Bion Tsang. Mr. Gustafson received his Bachelor’s of Music in Cello Performance from Rice University in 2018, and his Master’s of Music in Cello Performance from the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin in 2021. He is a member of the American String Teachers’ Association and the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Passionate about music education, he teaches with local non-profit Austin Soundwaves, serving historically under-funded school programs throughout Austin, and participated as an instructor with UT’s String Project. In March 2020, he traveled as part of a delegation of UT SP teachers to the American String Teachers’ Association National Conference in Orlando, FL, where he was also invited to participate in a conference masterclass. In lessons, he strongly believes in fostering a nurturing, holistic, and positive learning environment marked by a commitment by both teacher and student to mutual respect, seeing challenge through the lens of opportunity, and having fun! When he’s not geeking out over his latest musical obsession (or consumed with the perpetual search for the best local coffee shop), Matthew enjoys spending time with his wife (pianist Katie Gustafson), cooking, hiking, and kayaking.