When your life’s passion is your job, it is a tremendous blessing! I am the director of music and organist at the First Presbyterian Church in Burlington, North Carolina. I began this job in August 2025 after being at Front Street United Methodist Church, also in Burlington, for nine years. I came to this profession after changing career paths. It’s my full-time job, and I love it.

Music has the ability to facilitate an encounter with the divine, the holy, and the living God. I am driven by the weekly challenge of making this possible for the people who attend and visit First Presbyterian. I also have a passion for finding music that helps to highlight the mystical side of God. At our church, I get to work with a diverse group of people who encompass all age groups and walks of life. I direct three choirs -- children, handbells, and adults -- as well as play the piano and organ for all services.

First Presbyterian is a large and thriving church, so there is literally never a dull moment. Being the music director for a church is much more than just playing music every Sunday. It also involves reaching out to those who might be sick or shut in, making sure that concerns of church members are heard and responded to in a timely manner, and working with a variety of people who each have a different personality and way of communicating. In part, these aspects are what make the job so rewarding but yet so challenging.

Another reward for me is watching people grow in their musical skills and abilities. I always challenge each of my choirs to their utmost ability. I like to take people right to the edge of their comfort zone, not just in terms of the music they are singing or playing but also in the music that they are hearing. Does this musical encounter make you think about the world differently? Does it give you a different perspective of who God might be? But in addition to challenging others, I also challenge myself on a weekly basis. I try to learn at least one new piece of music every week. I am a big advocate of life-long learning! We should all challenge ourselves to learn something new each and every day! In the end, what could be more rewarding?

I worked for almost eight years in public accounting before a made a complete career change to become a professional musician. Sure, music had always been a part of my life; I began taking piano lessons in the third grade, but -- and I often joke -- my dad would not pay for me to get a music degree in college! I am very grateful for that now, because I can see the benefits of having another degree. Music and math go very much hand in hand, and I also think having a strong work ethic that I nurtured and developed through many long hours in public accounting has helped me be a more conscientious and dedicated employee. In addition, I have been a musician in almost every denomination, so I am familiar with an array of liturgical practices and musical traditions that are unique for each Christian denomination. This experience has helped to make me a more well-rounded musician.

I have degrees from three universities. My undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration / Accounting from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. I also have a Master of Music degree from Emory University in Atlanta, GA, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. I also earned a graduate certification in piano performance at Salem College in 2021. In the summer of 2019 and again in 2025, I had the wonderful opportunity to study for two weeks at the Smarano Organ Academy in Smarano, located in the Italian Alps. The focus of the academy is studying and playing music on historical keyboard instruments including clavichords, harpsichords, fortepianos, and mechanical action organs. Needless to say, it was an incredible experience, and I learned so much!

As a certified public accountant, I have to complete 40 hours of continuing professional education each year. Doing so can be challenging, especially since I no longer work in that field. I was licensed in 2003, and I am proud to say that I have kept my license active now for 23 years,

I have had so many wonderful teachers along the way that it would be impossible to name them all. Sandra Baker was my piano teacher. She was a very gifted musician, and I loved studying with her. I miss her. One of my favorite teachers was Karen Robinson, who taught second grade at Drexel Elementary. She was tough but fair, and I tended to gravitate toward teachers like that. She was also kind of quirky (her use of Bic pens), and so was I, so that was another way we matched. She didn’t put up with any nonsense from anyone, including second graders. She was a neat lady, and after teaching she served as mayor of Hildebran for several years. I’m willing to guess that she didn’t put up with nonsense there, either.

At East Burke, a few notable ones come to mind, including Anne Stephens (language arts), Lucille Bond, (calculus), Ramona Barus (geometry), and Renee Shatley (chorus). I am grateful for these four especially because they challenged me in ways that I could not or would not have been able to challenge myself. In particular, my love for music grew exponentially in chamber singers, taught by Renee Shatley. She let me accompany the chorus on the piano, even when I wasn’t all that great, and allowed all of her students to have wonderful opportunities singing at choir festivals and in churches. Being in chorus was one of the highlights of my high school experience. I made many friendships that have lasted even until today, and I have so many wonderful memories of choir trips, festivals, and musicals that we did together.

One of my goals is to travel more, especially in Europe. Music is such an international language, and much of the music (especially classical music) that we know and love today originated in Europe. There are many musical pilgrimages I would like to make to continue to grow in my knowledge, love, and appreciation of music.


To listen to Matt play, click Here

Originally Published April 2020
Article Revised February 19, 2026