Jim Matthews
Top photo: Jim Matthews (in back row, far right) at the St. Patrick's Cathedral concert "A City Singing at Christmas," on Dec. 19, 2019. Bottom photo: Matthews (center) at a 2018 Orpheus holiday concert.
Jim Matthews
- Town: Paramus, New Jersey
- Singing part: Tenor 2
- How did you first hear about Orpheus, and what drew you to it? “I saw Dick Scott’s ad in our local paper and attended my first rehearsal in September 1999. It was a very welcoming group, the music had a nice variety, and it has been a great experience since, as part of the Second Tenor section.”
- How long have you been singing/Where have you sung before? “My singing career started in a boys choir at Saint John’s Cathedral Parish in Paterson, New Jersey. It was an enjoyable weekly experience. Later, I sang in the Saint Peter’s College glee club for four years. I sang in a double quartet with them, soloing in 'The Three Bells.' In the early 60s, I had the privilege of singing for a few years in the Saint Anthony, Hawthorne, church choir. The director was a real pro, and we sang many traditional Latin Masses, which was a new experience for me. I then joined the Ridgewood Singers for a few years. One memorable experience there was singing in a double quartet, for a Swingle Singers style number.”
- Can you share a memory or experience with Orpheus? "There have been a lot of special moments, but one of my favorite solo opportunities was in our 2008 performance of the 'South Pacific' medley."
- Can you share a favorite choral song? “Looking back over our concert programs, I came to realize that some of the most memorable numbers were also the most challenging: In 2015, 'Rinaldo' and 'Sgt. Pepper,' both collaborative numbers, were tough but rewarding. In 2019, 'Stardust' was similarly rewarding.”
Mini-bio: “After college, I taught math for two years at Notre Dame while earning my MS degree. I then enjoyed a career in software development for the defense and communication industries, from the Rand Corporation to AT&T, until retiring in 2004.
“Getting the opportunity to take piano lessons as a child was certainly helped by the fact that both my parents played. My mother was a career public school music teacher. My father loved to sing barbershop. He was in a quartet that competed at the national SPEBSQSA* Convention. He was also the founding President of the Paterson Chapter of that organization, and later served as President of the Mid-Atlantic District.
“Moving forward to my own children, my son, Paul, relocated to Austin, Texas, a while back. He has performed on keyboard there in several genres. He has now transitioned to primarily teaching piano. My other son, Pete, runs a popular blog for all things musical in NYC called Feast of Music. I have been fortunate enough to attend great concerts in New York as his guest.
* Barbershop Harmony Society, also known as the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA)
“Getting the opportunity to take piano lessons as a child was certainly helped by the fact that both my parents played. My mother was a career public school music teacher. My father loved to sing barbershop. He was in a quartet that competed at the national SPEBSQSA* Convention. He was also the founding President of the Paterson Chapter of that organization, and later served as President of the Mid-Atlantic District.
“Moving forward to my own children, my son, Paul, relocated to Austin, Texas, a while back. He has performed on keyboard there in several genres. He has now transitioned to primarily teaching piano. My other son, Pete, runs a popular blog for all things musical in NYC called Feast of Music. I have been fortunate enough to attend great concerts in New York as his guest.
* Barbershop Harmony Society, also known as the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA)
Published in January 2021
