CAZENOVIA — Cazenovia High School graduate Matthew Abernathy has been named the winner of the inaugural MidAmerica Productions Inc. (MAP) International Choral Conducting Competition at Carnegie Hall.
The prestigious award comes with a $10,000 stipend prize and a guest solo conducting appearance at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Applications were submitted by conductors from around the world, including the United States, China, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.
Abernathy is the artistic director of the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay — the principal chorus for The Florida Orchestra — and the director of choral studies at the University of Tampa.
According to a MAP press release, his contest submission, which included a conducting video and his reflections on choral music, demonstrated his musicianship, leadership, and dedication to the art of choral conducting.
“Matthew Abernathy’s ability to inspire and elevate his choirs impressed us,” said Peter Tiboris, founder and general music director of MAP and chair of the judging panel. “His understanding of musical expression and his thoughtful and passionate conducting style made him the choice for this award by the international jury.”
The competition, which will resume in 2027, seeks to recognize outstanding choral conductors between the ages of 25 and 35.
“The establishment of this competition is a significant step toward supporting and advancing the careers of young choral conductors,” Matthew Harden, one of the judges, said in the press release. “2024 Winner Matthew Abernathy exemplifies the future of choral music.”
Abernathy is a 2009 graduate of Cazenovia High School.
“My first time conducting was actually with the Cazenovia High School band,” Abernathy said. “I liked the idea of seeing the ‘big picture’ and thinking about how you interpret a piece, which is basically what a conductor does. Ever since then, it’s been my musical goal. . . . I’ve been inspired by a lot of great musicians, but I’d be remiss not to particularly single out Teresa Campbell and Kathy DiNardo, who were my high school choir and jazz band teachers. Getting to Carnegie Hall starts with public schools that offer great arts experiences. I know that the music opportunities I had at Caz enabled me to get where I am today.”
After high school, Abernathy earned a bachelor of music degree from SUNY Potsdam-Crane School of Music, a master of music degree from the University of Michigan, and a doctor of musical arts degree from the University of Minnesota.
As artistic director for the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, Abernathy leads a 130-voice symphonic chorus that performs major choral-orchestral works in collaboration with The Florida Orchestra. In that role, he has also commissioned music by living composers and oversees a comprehensive community engagement program reaching all ages throughout Tampa Bay.
In 2022, Abernathy was a semifinalist and the only American admitted to the Fosco Corti International Competition for Choral Conductors in Turin, Italy.
From 2016 to 2022, he was on staff at Minnesota Opera, where he was guest chorus master in 2019 and 2022, children’s chorus director from 2016 to 2022, and music director of the Project Opera youth program from 2016 to 2022. He also played an integral role in the creation and success of Minnesota Opera’s adult community chorus, Voices of Opera, and he was a teaching artist for Minnesota Opera’s after-school music program, Music Out Loud.
He also served as chorus master for the Lakes Area Music Festival from 2018 to 2022 and as an assistant conductor/section leader with the Minnesota Chorale in 2019 and 2022.
Other conducting appearances include The Florida Orchestra, Wintergreen Music Festival, Bach Society of Minnesota, Dakota Valley Symphony Chorus, Oratorio Society of Minnesota, Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, The Summer Singers, Opera MODO, Arbor Opera Theater, 113 Composer Collective, and the Norfolk Chamber Choir. Additionally, he has prepared choruses for numerous notable conductors.
“Conducting looks like a flashy profession, and it certainly can be, but a great conductor is really there to enable their ensemble to perform as well as they can,” Abernathy said. “They know their music extremely well and put aside any ego to make sure that the music and the musicians who perform it can shine.”
In his current position at the University of Tampa, Abernathy teaches the undergraduate aural skills course sequence and conducts the Chamber Singers and Camerata, a select chamber choir for treble voices. He has also been a faculty member at the University of St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota. His academic research focuses on aural skills, musicianship, and leadership for conductors.
Founded by Tiboris over 40 years ago, MAP has brought together conductors, choirs, soloists, and orchestral musicians for performances at some of the world’s greatest venues, most notably the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall.
As part of his MAP award, Abernathy will make his debut performance conducting the New England Symphonic Ensemble in Boulanger’s Psalm 130 “Du fond de l’abîme” at the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage on June 6, 2026, at 8 p.m.
“Honestly, I never expected to be here and certainly never to conduct at Carnegie Hall,” Abernathy said. “It’s been surprisingly overwhelming to process this honor.”
His program, which was selected in collaboration with Tiboris, will feature a choir of 125 voices.
“Lili Boulanger is definitely not a household name, but she is one of the most extraordinary composers from the early 20th century,” noted Abernathy. “She was extremely gifted but chronically ill for much of her short life, so her music is very passionate and emotional. This particular piece is thrilling from beginning to end and does a brilliant job of showing off the choir and orchestra. It’s been on my bucket list for a long time!”
For more information on MAP, visit midamerica-music.com.
