Matthew’s passion is making music with people who don’t think of themselves as musicians.

Kids who have never sung in groups. Seniors who haven’t sung since high school. Tourists who had no idea they were walking into a Beer Choir.

Really, no one is safe from singing around him.

In addition to undergraduate degrees in the arts of persuasion (Advertising Copywriting and Social Psychology), he has a master’s degree in vocal performance and pedagogy (where his thesis research focused on the power of cultural tourism to revitalize rural communities) and a doctoral degree (ABD) in choral conducting. His current research is centered on the community development applications of community music, and the transformative power of early childhood music for communities and families. He’s part of the inaugural cohort of the Teaching Artist Training Institute, and is particularly passionate about the El Sistema approach to empowering children through music.

In 2019 he made his Carnegie Hall debut leading two non-auditioned youth and adult ensembles in a world-premiere choral cantata commissioned for the occasion. The Shelton, Washington performance of that work, “Borders” by John Muehleisen, won second in the community division of the 2019-20 American Prize: Ernst Bacon Award for the Performance of American Music. But even before this, community ensembles he’s either led or managed have shown a strong propensity for getting Lincoln Center and White House invitations.

Andy Jarema is a music educator, composer, and trumpet player in metro-Detroit, Michigan. He holds degrees from Michigan State University (B.A. Music Education/Jazz Studies Minor) and Wayne State University (M.M. Music Composition). He has been active as a public school teacher since 2010, including four years as a middle school band director in Howell, Michigan and four years as a K-6 general music/band teacher in Warren, Michigan. Andy received a Fund For Teachers fellowship in 2016 to explore the musical culture of Route 66 and has also served as an Artist-in-Residence through the National Park Service (Great Smoky Mountains in 2018 and Hawai’i Volcanoes in 2019). As a composer, he has been commissioned by the Detroit Composers Project and has had his concert band works played by young ensembles across the state of Michigan.

When he is not teaching or composing, Andy can be found taking massive road trips to national parks with his partner Danielle, hosting household dance parties with his daughter Etta, or playing with his insanely cute Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Aoife.

Gwyndolyn Jones-Dunton is a Boston native who has been singing since the age of 3. She has performed in numerous local venues and events in Boston and surrounding areas including Ryle’s Jazz Club, Sculler’s Jazz Club, the Strand Theater, Berklee Performance Center, HubBub Fest, Beantown Jazz Festival, GospelFest and many others, as a lead and background vocalist. She also accompanies herself and others on the acoustic guitar and has served as a praise and worship leader at local churches. Over the years, she has also played electric bass for small ensembles and choirs. Additionally, she performs at private events such as weddings and birthday parties.

Gwyndolyn has a Bachelors of Music in Music Therapy from the Berklee College of Music and a Master of Science in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College. She loves teaching music and movement in early childhood and community settings and has also worked as a music therapist, music teacher and a Pre-Kindergarten teacher. She has experience working with people of all ages and abilities and takes an individualized approach to teaching. Currently, Gwyn lives in Attleboro, Massachusettes with her husband and children.