Matthew Cramer is a conductor and bass-baritone based in New Haven, CT. He is the Assistant Director of Choral Programs at Sacred Heart University and serves as music director at St. Thomas’s Episcopal Church (New Haven) and preparatory conductor of the Yale Schola Cantorum at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. As a conductor, Matthew’s work is often concerned with ethical and political themes drawn from the current zeitgeist. He is passionate about choral music and its ability to affect social change. In 2024, he founded Tantalus – a chamber choir focused on new music – as part of a collaboration with the Albany Symphony.

 

Off the podium, Matthew is an active performer of early and contemporary music as both soloist and ensemble singer. While at Yale, Matthew studied voice and historical performance practice with Judith Malafronte and was a member of the prestigious Yale Schola Cantorum, performing under conductors David Hill, Masaaki Suzuki, Matthew Halls, and Simon Carrington. With the Schola Cantorum, he has performed throughout the northeastern U.S. as well as on international tours to Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Russia, India, and Germany. Professionally, Matthew has sung with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Claire Chase, the New Consort, Apollo’s Fire, the Grant Park Chorus, Constellation Men’s Ensemble, Yale Choral Artists, New York Virtuoso Singers, and Grammy-winning chamber choir The Crossing, among many other ensembles. As a recording artist, he can be heard on albums on Canteloupe, Deutsche Grammophon, Hyperion, Navona, Nonesuch, and Sono Luminus labels.

 

Matthew received the Doctor of Musical Arts in choral conducting from Northwestern University, where he studied with Donald Nally. He also holds degrees from the Yale School of Music (MM, conducting) and the Hartt School (GPD, BM music composition). He lives with his partner Nick, and their cats, Schroeder and Finnegan.