Our Artistic Director

Nick Matherne's endeavors as an artist, teacher, and researcher center around cultivating music engagement for performers and listeners of all ages. He envisions a world where all people have access to meaningful musical experiences as singers, players, and audience members throughout their lives. Nick is the current music teacher and choir director at the Hawaiʻi School for Girls at La Pietra, where he helps students find their unique musical voices which they can use for the rest of their lives. Nick has served as President of the Hawaiʻi Music Educators Association (2021-2022) and on the board of the Hawaiʻi chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (2020-2022).

As a conductor, Nick is a champion of choral-instrumental collaborations, including the world premiere of a new choral setting of Nigel Westlake and Lior’s Compassion, which he premiered with Choral Edge and the Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra. Nick is a relentless advocate for lifelong musicianship in all aspects of his work and has presented and published internationally as a clinician, researcher, and music teaching specialist. He has taught secondary music in Maryland, Virginia, Hawaiʻi, and Australia, where is a PhD candidate in Music Psychology and Performance Science at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music examining motivation for lifelong musicianship.