Dr. Matthew Kundler is a performer and educator based in Central Texas, serving as the Adjunct Professor of Tuba, Euphonium, and Brass Chamber Music at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. As a soloist and chamber musician, Matthew has been awarded prizes and recognition in numerous national and international competitions. As a member of the International Tuba and Euphonium Association, Matthew performed recitals as an invited guest artist at the Midwest Regional Tuba and Euphonium Conference, the Southeast Regional Tuba and Euphonium Conference, and the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference. Matthew received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama, his Master’s degree from Northwestern University, and his Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Texas at Austin. His primary teachers include Rex Martin, Demondrae Thurman, Jeremy Crawford, Martin Cochran, and Charles Villarrubia.
Matthew has performed with a diverse spectrum of ensembles and institutions, from the International Contemporary Ensemble, to the BackBurner! Tuba Ensemble (the only professional tuba ensemble in the U.S.), the Georgia and Chicago Brass Band, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, as well as performing as a featured soloist with the Brass Band of Huntsville, Mt. Prospect Wind Ensemble, the Kealing Middle School Band, the University of Alabama Brass Ensemble, the Wheaton Municipal Band, and Northwestern University’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble. An advocate for new music, Matthew has performed the premieres of works for euphonium by Steve Snowden, Jose Flores, Derek Holden, Ben Justis, Bracha Bdil, Matthew Jackfert, Frank Guilino, and Paul McGhee. As a member of euphonium quartet !ncite, Matthew has commissioned works for this growing genre of euphonium chamber music from composers Dan Kramer, Ian McCollum, and Doug Bristol. Matthew also serves as the group's primary arranger, focusing on transcriptions of Romantic art songs and contemporary string quartets.
Matthew is also cofounder of the Diversity Initiative Call for Scores, an organization that promotes the works of composers of underrepresented communities. The organization's first call for scores received over 85 new works of brass chamber music from 27 countries. Alongside this organization, Matthew founded the Illinois Low Brass Institute and the Tuba and Euphonium Charity Series, two education-focused entities that provide the highest quality of music education to all and seek to make tangible change through music.
