Matt,

Congratulations on a well earned retirement, and greetings from the University of Illinois! It should come as no surprise that I have dozens upon dozens of fond musical memories of working and collaborating with you during my years at Brown, and it is difficult to convey the extent to which my musicianship improved through your guidance. You provided invaluable foundational support on conducting, composing, arranging, performing, and at times, a thing or two about confidence and humility. I owe you a tremendous gratitude for my career successes beyond Brown, and I hope someday to have the sort of positive impact on my students that you’ve had on me!

Thank you for everything!

Eli Fieldsteel ’08