Artistic Director

Matheus Cruz, Artistic Director

Dr. Matheus Cruz is the new Director of Choral Activities at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, where he conducts the UWSP Concert Choir and Choral Union and teaches academic courses in music education. Dr. Cruz has also been appointed the new Artistic Director of the Monteverdi Chorale at Stevens Point. Born in Brazil, Dr. Cruz received his Bachelor of Music Education from the State University of Maringá and a master’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he studied with Dr. Paul Crabb and Dr. Brandon Boyd. Before moving to the United States, Cruz worked as a K-12 public school teacher and directed community choruses and church choirs in Paraná. He received his D.M.A. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. 

Cruz’s professional experience in the U.S.A. includes being the Conductor for Canticum Novum and the assistant conductor for the premier choral ensemble Conservatory Singers at UMKC, where he also taught choral arranging and introductory conducting courses and served as the Chorus Master for the 2021/2022 opera productions Così fan Tutte by Mozart. In the fall of 2021, he conducted the staged performances of Handel’s Acis and Galatea.

Cruz’s research focuses on Brazilian choral music, particularly the choral works of Osvaldo Lacerda (1927-2011) and José Maurício Nunes Garcia (1767-1830). His scholarship interest has led to publications and leadership positions with important choral organizations in Brazil and abroad. His publications include “Choral Singing and the Elderly – Rehearsal as a Moment of Great Possibilities” in the Brazilian Music Educators Association Magazine (ABEM)- 2014 and “Choosing the Choral Repertoire: A Conductor’s Task?” in Musica Hodie -2016.

Cruz has served as the Repertoire and Resources Chair for World Music & Cultures for the ACDA Southwestern Division (2020-2022). He also maintains an active schedule as a clinician for festivals in Brazil and the U.S. He serves as the choral director in Brazil for two large music festivals in Cascavel and Pato Bragado, Paraná. Recent appearances include his work as a clinician and instructor for the 2022 UW-Madison Summer Music Clinic. Aside from his work as a conductor and an educator, Matheus Cruz enjoys writing and performing his arrangements of Brazilian tunes, which Pavene and MusicSpoke have published.