Matthew Zalkind

Praised for his “impressive refinement, eloquent phrasing, and singing tone” by the New York Times, American cellist Matthew Zalkind has performed throughout the United States and abroad as a recitalist, soloist, and chamber musician. As a soloist, he has performed concertos with such organizations as the Albany Symphony, Hongzhou Philharmonic, Musica Viva Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Utah Symphony, Tongyeong International Music Festival Orchestra, Music Academy of the West Festival Orchestra, and Juilliard Symphony Orchestra. He has performed concertos with conductors Ludovic Morlot, Thierry Fischer, Giancarlo Guerrero, David Alan Miller, and several others.

Zalkind has given recitals at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC; University of Michigan; Gardner Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah; Moscow Conservatory; Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts in Chicago; the Juilliard School; the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater; and Beijing Concert Hall in Beijing, China.

An active chamber musician, Zalkind has participated in numerous music festivals, including Marlboro and Musicians from Marlboro tours, Music from Angel Fire, Olympic Music Festival, Innsbrook Institute, Twickenham Festival, and Ravinia Steans Music Institute. He has performed chamber music at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater, New York’s Alice Tully Hall, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As a former member of the acclaimed Harlem String Quartet, he also toured internationally with jazz legends Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea, and Gary Burton.

Awarded first prize in the Washington International Competition, Zalkind earned top prizes in the Beijing International Cello Competition, Korea’s Isang Yun International Competition, and the Juilliard School Competition as well. He also won distinction as the top-ranked American and one of the eight concerto semifinalists in the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.

A Salt Lake City native with a strong interest in teaching and outreach, Zalkind was awarded a Gluck Community Service Fellowship at the Juilliard School for four years, performing concerts at treatment facilities throughout New York City’s five boroughs. He is now associate professor at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. His primary mentors included Richard Hoyt, Pegsoon Whang, Timothy Eddy, Richard Aaron, and Hans Jørgen Jensen. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Juilliard and a doctorate of musical arts from the University of Michigan. He plays a rare Italian cello made in 1760 by Florentine maker Luigi Piatellini.