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Matthew N. Russell
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Matthew N. Russell, Music Director and Con-ductor, began working with the Maplewood Men’s Glee Club in the fall of 2007. For the past four years, Mr. Russell has also served as Director of Choral Activities at Columbia High School in the South Orange and Ma-plewood Public Schools where he has conducted the Concert Chorale, Women’s Ensemble, and Excelsior Singers. He has also taught AP Music Theory and served as vocal music director for the All School Musi-cal. Prior to teaching at CHS, Mr. Russell taught as a choral director with the Roxbury Township Public Schools in Succasunna, NJ, and also served on the fac-ulty of the Penn State High School Summer Music Camp for six seasons. In the fall of 2010, Matthew will move to Columbus, OH, where he will serve as a graduate teaching associate in the choral department of Ohio State University, as conductor of the OSU University Chorus, and matriculate as a DMA Candi-date in Conducting under the mentorship for Dr. Robert Ward.
Mr. Russell holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Music Education and a Master of Music Degree in Conducting from the Pennsylvania State Uni-versity where his major teachers were Dr. Lynn Drafall, Dr. Anthony Leach, and Dr. D. Douglas Miller. While at Penn State, he served as a graduate teach-ing assistant in the choral department and was an assistant conductor for the PSU Concert Choir, Oriana Singers, University Choir, and Campus Choir. In addition, Mr. Russell studied organ and choral music at the University of Kan-sas where he participated in a master class with French organist Marie-Claire Alain. The master class has been released by the American Guild of Organists on its DVD series entitled
The Master Series. Mr. Russell’s organ teachers have included Professor June Miller, Dr. Pierce Getz, and Dr. James Higdon.Originally from Lewistown, PA, Mr. Russell works frequently in church music and is an ecumenically eclectic pastoral musician. Most recently, Matthew served as Director of Music and Organist at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Montclair, NJ, where he helped to design and install a new, state-of-the-art custom-designed Allen Renaissance Quantum Organ as a part of his tenure. Mr. Russell also performs as a singer, an organ recitalist, and as a guest keyboard accompanist with choral ensembles and professional soloists. He holds professional affiliations with the ACDA, MENC, NEA, and AGO.