The Director

Matthew Mainella

Matthew Mainella, Music Director of the Evanston Civic Orchestra, is a conductor, educator, and arts advocate currently residing in Salt Lake City, UT. Throughout his varied career, Dr. Mainella has led professional, college, community, and youth orchestras, wind bands, choirs, and stage productions. Most recently, he conducted the winter opera production at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, leading Gilbert’s Ages Ago and P.D.Q. Bach’s Stoned Guest. In 2018, Dr. Mainella guest conducted at Brigham Young University, and led several world premieres at the University of Utah. In 2017, he was featured as guest conductor in the American Guild of Organists’ Western Region convention. He also conducted the annual Christmas production of Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors with Sinfonia Salt Lake and the University of Utah Lyric Opera Ensemble. Dr. Mainella has served as Principal Conductor of the University of Utah Campus Symphony, Assistant Conductor of the Salt Lake Symphony and Valdosta (GA) Symphony Orchestra, and Musical Director of the Peach State Summer Theatre, where he led performances of The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Les Misérables, and A Little Night Music, among others.

Dr. Mainella is strongly devoted to music education at all levels and enjoys performing with students on a regular basis. Recently he was invited to work with students of the Granite Youth Symphony Orchestras, appearing as Guest Clinician and Conductor for their 2019 Winter Concert. While at the University of Utah he was instrumental in launching the Conducting Master Class Series, which brought internationally renowned conductors and pedagogues to the U. He also led the musicians of the Utah Philharmonia and Campus Symphony through the core orchestral repertoire. During his time in Georgia, he conducted and coached middle and high school students of the South Georgia String Project. A passionate and engaging teacher, he designed and taught music courses at Valdosta State University, South Georgia State College, and Georgia Military College.

Mainella earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Utah, the Master of Music Performance degree from Valdosta State University, and the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Connecticut. During his time at UConn, he produced a full-length studio album featuring original compositions. Recent compositions include a setting of Walt Whitman’s Song of the Open Road for choir and orchestra. A Connecticut native and avid outdoorsman, he has musical roots in the piano and trumpet, and enjoys camping, hiking, and storm chasing in addition to writing and arranging music.