Dr. Matthew Poon combines a multi-faceted career as a conductor and music theorist. He is currently Assistant Professor of Music Theory at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and Music Director of the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra, St. Croix Valley Orchestra, and Chippewa Valley Youth Symphony. Prior to arriving in Eau Claire, he taught music theory at Oberlin College in Ohio and the University of Toronto, conducting at Tyndale University, and conducted the Strings Attached Orchestra and Toronto Chinese Orchestra. Despite moving to northwestern Wisconsin, Matthew remains connected to the Toronto music scene by serving as Music Director of the ME & Lau Family Foundation’s String Music & Art Exhibitions and Artistic Advisor to the Canadian Chinese Orchestra.

Matthew holds PhD, MA, and MMus degrees from the University of Toronto, a BMus from McMaster University, and an ARCT from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He studied with conducting teachers such as Chih-Sheng Chen in Taiwan, Harold Farberman, Mark Gibson, Gustav Meier, and Paul Vermel in the United States, and David Briskin, Uri Mayer, and Victor Feldbrill in Canada.