Matt Goldstein

Matt Goldstein is an award-winning vocal arranger, music educator, singer/songwriter, and facilitator who cultivates community through collaborative creation. He is a passionate and positive presence in all his pursuits, coupling his musical expertise and leadership abilities with warmth, vulnerability, and a joyous sense of humor.

Matt holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Drama from Vassar College, where he directed an a cappella group known as The Vassar Devils. Under his leadership, the group developed from a casual ensemble into one that won first place at the 2016 BOSS competition, recorded multiple award-winning albums, and performed for President and First Lady Obama at the White House in 2015.

After graduating in 2017, Matt spent three years singing as a member of professional all-male a cappella group Hyannis Sound. As a member of this elite vocal ensemble, Matt performed over 300 shows and served varyingly as the group’s music director, merchandise manager, and video producer.

After earning acclaim for his emotive, innovative arrangements with The Vassar Devils and Hyannis Sound, Matt went on to craft custom vocal arrangements for over 60 ensembles around the world, including OneVoice, Upper Structure, Nomadic, Gestalt, Forte, singer-songwriter MALINDA, and 2020 ICHSA champions The Ozarks. He earned both awards for Best Professional Arrangement (Scholastic & Non-Scholastic) at the 2020 CARAs (Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards), and his arranging work has garnered him numerous awards at a cappella festivals such as the ICCA, BOSS, and SoJam.

While Matt has a deep love for the power and precision of a planned composition, he is also a student and teacher of vocal improvisation and the art of spontaneous songcrafting. He has been a participant in Rhiannon’s All The Way In vocal improvisation mastery course, as well as Bobby Mcferrin’s weeklong Circle Song School. He currently facilitates circle singing and vocal improvisation workshops in NYC, with scholastic groups, and at vocal festivals across the country.

Most recently, Matt founded Gaia Music Collective, a community arts organization and performance collective that developed in New York City in 2021. Gaia seeks to break down the barriers between performer & audience by facilitating experiences that allow singers to express themselves freely and build community with artistic peers. Matt serves as Gaia’s creative director and lead facilitator, leading vocal improvisation sessions, open mic nights, choir events, jam sessions, and house shows that break down the barriers between audience and performer by inviting everyone to make music together.

As a music educator, Matt has music directed numerous musical theater productions and taught workshops at Ghostlight Theater Camp, New England Voices, and the National A Cappella Convention. He currently teaches private lessons, directs a community pop/rock choir called Rock Voices, and teaches at an elite vocal music summer camp called A Cappella Academy.

Matt is endlessly amazed by music’s ability to generate genuinely connective experiences across barriers of language, experience, and ability, and has dedicated his career to the study of this powerful magic.