Matthew Cataldi

Philosophy and Focus: My teaching philosophy is very simple – I want my students to get jobs. As such, my studio is built on the foundation of preparing students for the real world far beyond the typical classical piano studio experience. While we study and perform classical repertoire, of course, we also do so much more – studying jazz and popular music, composing and arranging our own original works, and producing outreach concerts that benefit members of our community.

My own career has taught me the value of this breadth of experience. While much of my academic background is in classical performance, I’ve spent many successful years of my life as a conductor, arranger, vocal coach, church organist, composer, and theatre director. Being able to branch out from my classical training and explore the many opportunities a life in music has to offer has been the cornerstone of my career and remains a versatility I hope to impart onto my own students.

Background:  My musical interests are a bit all over the place - I grew up on Frank Sinatra and the great singers of the swing era, but also fell in love with musical theatre and jazz from a pretty young age. Combine that with early studies in classical piano and you get a rather strange and eclectic mix of musical appreciation across the board.

I’ve been fortunate enough to study both classical and popular music throughout my own life and have built a career somewhere in between the two worlds as a performer and a composer, from conducting Broadway orchestras to recording with Grammy nominated gospel choirs to performing classically at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall – and almost everything in between.

Teaching:  I’ve been incredibly lucky to have had the most amazing teachers along every step of my musical journey - from a toddler who couldn’t even reach the pedals of the piano all the way through my doctoral work in performance. I hope to reflect even a small portion of their brilliance and inspiration in my own teaching.

My piano majors go through an intense and carefully designed four years of study, including collaborative courses, keyboard literature, and piano ensembles – all while studying a wide variety of solo repertoire in applied lessons. We also study jazz, compose and arrange our own music, and perform a studio recital every semester for the public.

My students have been accepted to internationally renowned programs including the  Royal Conservatory of Scotland, New York University, Brevard Music Center and Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Creative Work: I love messing with music – I like taking classical pieces and making them popular, and taking popular songs and making them classical. I think there’s a great joy in the creative process like that, almost like you’re breaking the rules and exploring into the unknown.

Much of my creative work is focused on bridging those two worlds, both in elevating popular music scholarship and significance within the classical world as well as equipping classical pianists with the tools and vocabulary needed to successfully traverse popular styles of music.

For more information about Matt Cataldi, please open the tabs below. If you would like a digital copy of his complete CV, please contact him at mcataldi@radford.edu.