San Diego State University's School of Music and Dance introduces new symphony orchestra conductor, Matthew Rowe. He will begin directing the orchestra at the start of the spring semester on Jan. 22.

"My wish is to pass on to SDSU students some of the knowledge and insight that I have gained while working with artists all around the world," says Rowe. "I hope to prepare students for the ups and downs of a life in music — both the hard work and the rewards — and then watch them take flight!"

An accomplished conductor

Rowe is an accomplished professional conductor and teacher with more than 15 years of experience working with a broad range of international ensembles. His conducting career encompasses film scores, classical, ballet and opera music and diverse education projects. This is his first full-time university teaching job.

After conducting an international search, San Diego State's music faculty chose Rowe to fill the position of assistant professor of music, director of orchestral studies. Rowe will oversee all aspects of the university's orchestral program and graduate instrumental conducting program, and he will teach courses in orchestral literature and conducting.

The SDSU Symphony Orchestra performs two concerts a semester; their next performance takes place on March 26.

Appearances and experiences

Rowe has appeared with:

• All of the BBC orchestras
• London Mozart Players
• Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
• A number of Scandinavian orchestras

He has also worked with several ballet companies, including:

• the Dutch National Ballet
• Royal Danish Ballet
• Royal Swedish Ballet

He recently made his debut with Birmingham Royal Ballet conducting "Swan Lake." His opera performances include:

• Bizet's "Carmen"
• Kurt Weill's "Seven Deadly Sins"
• Offenbach's "The Tales of Hoffman with the Danish National Opera"

More about Rowe

Born in London, Rowe studied conducting with Colin Metters, George Hurst and John Carewe. His first music directorship was for the Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir.

He was associate chorus director of the London Philharmonic Choir and, in 1990, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to the Peabody Conservatory of Music, Baltimore, to study under Frederik Prausnitz.