Prior to becoming the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in 2023, Matthew Ardizzone served as Eastman’s Associate Dean of Admissions & Enrollment Management for 13.5 years. He is the inaugural Marie Rolf Dean of Graduate Studies, and was the first guitarist to receive the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Eastman (’97). A student of Nicholas Goluses, his doctoral coursework focused on the history of performance and interpretation, and the influences of Chopin and the bel canto tradition on the guitar repertoire. His lecture-recital was on the Mazurka in the guitar repertoire, and included his transcriptions of works by Chopin and Granados, as well as guitar works of Barrios, Tárrega, and Sagreras. This became the basis of his first CD, titled Mazurka!, which was released on the AMP Recordings label, and received a 2001 Communicator Awards ‘Crystal Award of Excellence.’

As a guitarist, Ardizzone has performed across North America, making his orchestral debut in 2005 performing Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with the Anderson Symphony Orchestra (IN).  The Pittsburgh Tribune has described his “sensitive nuances” and the NYC Guitar Society his “incredible tone, marvelous technical facility, and poetic phrasing.”  His many collaborations include performances with flutist Leone Buyse, violinists Movses Pogossian and Yehonatan Berick, saxophonist Matt Sintchak, and vocal artists Anthony Dean Griffey and Audrey Luna.

After years of teaching at Nazareth College and Bowling Green State University, during which time he also served as director of a non-profit artist management agency, Ardizzone joined the admissions team at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance in 2006. It was there that he discovered and cultivated his interest in helping guide young musicians on their academic and musical paths. At Michigan, he was also in great demand as a guitarist, performing frequently with students, faculty artists, and with the Contemporary Directions Ensemble, the University Symphony Orchestra and Opera Productions.

In 2009 he became Associate Dean of Admissions at Eastman, and in 2015 his role expanded to encompass admissions, financial aid and the Registrar. During this time, he also served as Chair of the Independent Consortium for College Admissions in Music (ICCAM), and presented numerous times on special issues in music admissions and enrollment, including for the Eastman Leadership Conference and for the NASM annual meeting.

In his current role, he is responsible for all things related to graduate studies, including chairing the two graduate curriculum committees, supervising the advising of graduate students, and serving as Eastman’s representative on the University’s Graduate Deans Steering Committee.