2012 String Award

Matthew Stein, a senior honor student at Parkland High School (PHS), currently studies violin with Charles Parker since 2009 and previously studied with Inna Eyzerovich for four years. He began violin in 2003 along with piano from 2003 to 2009. He started viola in 2010.

    Matthew serves as president of the PHS Orchestra along with being an active member of the Honors Chamber Orchestra and Serenata Strolling Strings. He played in the pit orchestra for the PHS theatric productions of Aida, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Midsummer Night’s Dream. Matthew participated in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) District 10, Regional IV/V, and All-State Orchestra Festivals over the past four years and sat as concertmaster of the 2012 District Orchestra. In June 2011, Matthew was selected to be a violinist in the National Association of Music Education (MENC) All-National Honors Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

    Matthew also greatly enjoys playing chamber music. He is the founder and violinist/violist of the klezmer/classical piano trio M to the Third Power. In 2011, Matthew played viola in the Temple University Music Prep Program’s Youth Chamber Orchestra. He continued his studies of viola this past summer at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) Young Artists Orchestra program.

    Academically, Matthew is a National Merit Finalist, a National AP Scholar, and a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish, Math, and Science Honor Societies. He also serves as secretary of the Political Science Club, vice president of the Math League, and president/founder of the Scrabble Club at PHS. In his spare time, Matthew enjoys origami and hiking.    

    In the fall of 2012, Matthew will attend Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, and plans to major in music and chemistry.