Musical theater helps us understand what it means to be a human and stretches our emotional capacities. I want my students to strengthen their sense of self, build community, and fill their lives and work with joy, passion, curiosity, and empathy.

Matthew Stern joined the Conservatory in 2016 and is an assistant professor of musical theater. He teaches junior musical theater and vocal repertoire for seniors and graduate students in the Theater Division.

Stern has music directed productions for several professional theater organizations, including Huntington Theatre Company, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Lyric Stage Company, New Repertory Theatre, Stoneham Theatre, Wheelock Family Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Fiddlehead Theatre Company, and Hanover Theatre, as well as universities, schools, and community organizations. In fall 2017, he music directed the critically acclaimed and award-winning American premiere of Maria Friedman’s London production of Merrily We Roll Along at the Huntington Theatre Company, starring Mark Umbers, Damian Humbley, and Eden Espinosa. His work has been recognized with multiple IRNE awards and Elliot Norton Award nominations. He has taught musical theater on the faculty of Boston University and Emerson College, and has spent several years working with thousands of performers as the head of music directors at French Woods Festival in Hancock, New York.

Stern holds an M.F.A. in theater studies with a concentration in musical theater from Boston University and a B.A. in vocal performance from Brandeis University. He has trained as a vocalist, vocal coach, pianist, and conductor with accomplished musicians in the Boston area such as Matthew Larson, William Lumpkin, James Olesen, Pamela Wolfe, Ann Howard Jones, Scott Allen Jarrett, Daniel Stepner, Neil Hampton, and Lawrence Wolfe. He has given master classes, performances, and workshops for Michael Kozarin, Stephen Reineke, Stephen Schwartz, Betty Buckley, Rita Gardner, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Natalie Weiss, Seth Rudetsky, Andrea Burns, Mandy Gonzalez, Betsy Wolfe, Sheldon Harnick, Jonathan Tartaglia, Terrence McNally, David Stone, and Sheri Sanders.

Professional Awards and Recognitions

• Best Musical Director, Merrily We Roll Along at Huntington Theatre Company (IRNE Awards, 2018)
• Best Musical Director, The Bridges of Madison County at SpeakEasy Stage Company (IRNE Awards, 2018)
• Best Musical Director, The Scottsboro Boys at SpeakEasy Stage Company (IRNE Awards, 2017)
• Best Musical Production, The Scottsboro Boys at SpeakEasy Stage Company (Elliot Norton Awards, 2017)
• Best Musical Production, Hairspray at Wheelock Family Theatre (Elliot Norton Awards, 2017)

Recent Engagements

• Cabaret (Boston Conservatory at Berklee, 2019)—Music Director
• Fun Home (SpeakEasy Stage Company, 2018)—Music Director
• Merrily We Roll Along (Huntington Theatre Company, 2017)—Music Director
• The Bridges of Madison County (Speakeasy Stage Company, 2016)—Music Director
• The Scottsboro Boys (Speakeasy Stage Company, 2016)—Music Director