BIOGRAPHY

There is a version of the American orchestral canon that has largely disappeared from concert halls. As Founder and Music Director of the Cleveland Repertory Orchestra and Music Director of the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra, Matthew Salvaggio programs it anyway.

He founded the Cleveland Repertory Orchestra in 2021 to challenge the conventions of orchestral programming, presenting free concerts across greater Cleveland with annual support from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. Cleveland Classical's Stephanie Manning wrote that his "love for the material was evident." The ensemble commissions and premieres new work, including the world premiere of Griffin Candey's Double Aviary for Tenor Saxophone and Orchestra in November 2023. The 2025–26 season brought Legacy of Light: In Tribute to Michael Tilson Thomas and the Spirit of American Music, performed April 11, 2026 — eleven days before MTT's death on April 22.

As Music Director of the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra, Salvaggio leads the flagship Youth Symphony while overseeing eleven ensembles serving more than 750 students, 84 percent from minority-majority backgrounds. A 72 percent rise in auditions over two seasons prompted two new ensembles in 2024–25, enrolling 132 additional students and reducing long-standing waitlists. Alumni have earned places at conservatories in the United States and abroad, including Eastman, Curtis, Juilliard, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The Bridges Initiative, backed by a $200,000 Curiosity Pass grant from 4Culture, brings free music education to more than 400 students across greater Bellevue.

Before these appointments, he served as Music Director of the Euclid Symphony Orchestra, where he expanded the season from four programs to five, broadened the repertoire with regular commissions, and established both the Tom Baker Young Artists' Competition and an assistant conductor mentorship program. Earlier appointments include Music Director of the Erie Junior Philharmonic and the University Heights Symphonic Band, along with professorships at Mercyhurst University, Hiram College, and Lakeland Community College.

In October 2025, he made his debut with the Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra, conducting the "Bellevue Festa Latina" concert, and has conducted at Severance Hall in Cleveland and Benaroya Hall in Seattle. His work has brought him to the podium alongside Alan Baer (Principal Tuba, New York Philharmonic), John Rautenberg (former Associate Principal Flute, Cleveland Orchestra), John DiCesare (Principal Tuba, Seattle Symphony), Joshua Lauretig (Second Oboe, Buffalo Philharmonic), and Ken Johnston (former Concertmaster, Erie Philharmonic).

The American symphonic tradition sits at the center of Salvaggio's artistic practice; he programs Hanson, Creston, and Diamond alongside new and underrepresented voices. In November 2023, he conducted the premiere recording of Robert Gross's Concerto for Tenor Saxophone and Nine Instruments on New Focus Recordings. Michael Tilson Thomas shaped much of how he understands that tradition; attending MTT's final concert with the San Francisco Symphony in April 2025 led directly to the CRO's 2025–26 tribute program.

A second-prize winner of The American Prize in Conducting, he has been covered by Cleveland Classical and Erie News Now and spoken on programming and leadership on the ClassicalQueer, Podium Time, and Everything Band podcasts. He holds a Master of Music in Conducting from Kent State University, with additional study in symposia under Mallory Thompson, Donald Hunsberger, and others.

Updated May 2026