Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Matthew Martinez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Matthew, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?
I do several things for self-care! First, I run regularly. I did not grow up being particularly active so I came to working out when I was an adult in college, and even still I don’t think of myself as particularly athletic. But I’ve found over the past several years that making time for myself to go for a run, on a weekly schedule, has an extremely positive impact on my work and relationships. I always feel invigorated after a run, having pushed myself in the fresh air. And the discipline of doing this over the past several years has caused me to get better at it. I’m always challenging my pace and have started increasing my distance in training for my first half-marathon in a few months!
A few other things I do: I garden regularly. I love plants, particularly tropical plants and palm trees, and any gardener will tell you that there’s always more to do which takes planning and discipline. Finally, I prepare for my rehearsals! Preparation is absolutely self-care. It helps my confidence, helps me do my job better, and I enjoy it!
All three of these things take time, but I’ve been surprised, even in training for the half-marathon, how if I make the time to train, to get out in the garden, or prepare for my next rehearsal, how much more energy I have. I feel more positive about myself and what I’ve accomplished, and I’m in a better mood and can be a better musician, father, and husband.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’ve been the Artistic Director of the Long Beach Chorale & Chamber Orchestra since the 2022 season. I’m also the IT Director at the School of Biological Sciences at UC Irvine.
As the Chorale comes out of COVID, I’ve been so inspired to meet so many new singers who are really passionate about singing, who missed it during the pandemic. I see a tremendous opportunity for the Long Beach Chorale to connect to even more people, audience and singers alike, who are passionate about great choral music. We have a big masterworks concert, Ring Out, on June 1st and 2nd where we will celebrate our 35th anniversary and connect with our alumni singers.
Moving into the next seasons, I’m excited about other opportunities to bring our music to even more people in the community with smaller ensemble concerts and new venues. We are excited to bring even more Great Music, Up Close!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I think one of the skills that has served me best is being flexible with people. We all have our priorities and tasks to get accomplished, and we have to understand that my task doesn’t need to be accomplished exactly how I envision if it impacts yours. If we come to people with an ability to be flexible in how we accomplish our work, we find that they are more willing to help and work with us, and vice versa.
Another skill is prioritization. I am constantly having to balance priorities: work, artistic, and personal. It can be so overwhelming, but understanding how to prioritize, how to not even worry about things outside of my control, and make the best, logical decision I can on the highest priorities not only saves a ton of stress, it also helps me accomplish things quicker.
Finally, curiosity. I am always amazed how when I prepare for a rehearsal by reading a page in a book or an article online, how immediate those dividends are for my work. If we always strive to learn, we get so much in return.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Several years ago, I read a book called “The Art of Possibility” by the conductor Benjamin Zander. It was such an affirming read for me. It’s all about how we have so much potential for creation and joy if we are able to take our challenges as they are and for what they are. I don’t think the book used the phrase “growth mindset” but that really is a part of how I try to approach my life and career: be flexible, be positive, and realize that we all have challenges and the discomfort of them is really a part of life and if we are able to deal with them positively, we are able to be more creative and ultimately happier.
I think it’s amazing that this book was written by one of the great musical conductors of the past several decades and has very little on its surface to do with music. But conducting and making music, I’m learning every day, is about creativity in the composition itself as well as with the amazing people we get to work with every day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://longbeachchorale.org
- Instagram: lbchorale
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/longbeachchorale
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-martinez-713496228/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/lbchorale
