06/26/2026
Meet our 2026 WSMA High School State Honors Orchestra conductor – Matthew Kasper!
American conductor Matthew Kasper has established himself as a dynamic force in the artistic communities where he has performed. His ability to bridge American music of the last century with its traditional European roots has shaped a broad repertoire, with particular devotion to composers including Ives, Shostakovich, Weill, Copland, and Jessie Montgomery.
As Assistant and later Resident Conductor of The Phoenix Symphony (2015–2023), Kasper led more than 250 performances spanning subscription concerts, pops, education, and chamber orchestra programs. Highlights included Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Ives’ Second Symphony, Handel’s Messiah, and two seasons conducting the Bösendorfer Piano Competition. He was promoted to Resident Conductor in 2018 in recognition of his artistic leadership and community impact.
Kasper has earned national and international recognition, including a 2020 Career Assistance Award from the Solti Foundation U.S. and participation in Jukka-Pekka Saraste’s LEAD! program. Recent guest engagements include the San Francisco Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Tucson Symphony, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Evergreen Symphony (Taiwan), Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy, Opéra National de Lorraine, and Milwaukee Ballet.
Equally accomplished in ballet and opera, Kasper became the first Principal Conductor in Ballet Arizona’s history following acclaimed performances of The Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet. He has also conducted with New York City Ballet and his opera credits include The Magic Flute, Suor Angelica, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Owen Wingrave, Candide, and world premieres by Gerald Barry and Bruce Saylor.
Since 2020, Kasper has served as Artistic and General Director of the Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras. In recognition of his leadership, he was named a 2023 Piper Fellow by the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust.
Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Kasper holds degrees in violin performance and orchestral conducting and lives in Phoenix with his wife, three children, and their golden retrievers, Bear and Lucy.
For full bio, visit: https://wsmamusic.org/2026-high-school-state-honors-conductors/
