Matthew Ardizzone is a First Prize winner of the 1995 Rantucci Guitar Competition, and was one of twelve semifinalists in the 1996 Walter W. Naumburg International Competition for Guitar in New York City. In 1997, Mr. Ardizzone took fifth place in the Stotsenberg International Guitar Competition, which is the same year that he became the first guitarist to receive the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music. Mr. Ardizzone has appeared as a soloist with the Anderson Symphony Orchestra in Indiana, the Livingston Symphony Orchestra in Michigan, and the orchestra of the Conductor’s Retreat at Medomak. His festival appearances include the Eastman GuitarFest, GuitarHouston, the Ithaca College Winter Guitar Festival, and the Shady Side Chamber Music Festival. With violinist Movses Pogossian, he formed Duo Forza and recorded a CD of Spanish and Latin American Music. His solo CD, Mazurka, was selected by the 2001 Communicator Awards for a “Crystal Award of Excellence.” A committed teacher of guitar, Matthew has taught master classes and a “practice workshop” at schools throughout the country, including the Cleveland Institute of Music, Houston Baptist University, Ball State University, and the University of Iowa. He now lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he directs the Great Lakes Performing Artist Associates, a non-profit artist management agency. He is also a faculty member at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
