“With a tone and approach entrancing from the outset,” (New York Concert Review, Inc.) Matthew Figel currently studies at the Eastman School of Music, where he is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree under Marina Lomazov and Joseph Rackers. Matthew also received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Eastman, previously studying with Nelita True. Matthew has won top prizes in the Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition, Harold Protsman Classical Period Competition, and the Eastman Concerto Competition, where he was one of the youngest students to solo with the Eastman Philharmonia in the school’s history. He was also awarded sixth prize at the 2022 International J.S. Bach Competition, where he performed with the Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra in Leipzig.
Matthew recently participated in a workshop with Mitsuko Uchida as part of Carnegie Hall’s Perspectives series and was previously a fellow at the 2022 Gilmore Piano Festival. He has received master classes from Richard Goode, Simone Dinnerstein, Anne-Marie McDermott, Jon Nakamatsu, and Paul Lewis. Additionally, he has performed at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Concertgebouw Brugge, and has made other orchestral appearances with the Orchard Park and Round Rock symphonies. An avid collaborator, he was the first recipient of the inaugural Verdehr Trio Award at Eastman, as well as the John Celentano Award for Excellence in Chamber Music.
Passionate about early keyboards, his teachers have included Lisa Goode Crawford, Mike Cheng-Yu Lee, Ji Young Kim, and Eduardo Bellotti. Next season, Matthew will debut with the American Classical Orchestra in Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall.
An enthusiastic teacher, Matthew taught secondary piano lessons at Eastman and has received the Teaching Assistant Prize for Excellence in Teaching. Matthew previously served as the Artist-in-Residence at Valley Manor Living Center, where he performed monthly recitals for the senior community of Rochester, New York, and continues to actively perform outreach concerts at retirement homes and community centers.