Harpsichordist, organist, and conductor Matthew Dirst is the founder and artistic director of early music ensemble Ars Lyrica Houston and a professor of music at the University of Houston (UH) Moores School of Music (MSM).
Ars Lyrica specializes in music from the Baroque era, roughly spanning the years 1600 to 1750, as performed on period instruments with careful attention to historical style and context. The grammy-nominated ensemble provides audiences performances of a wide range of dramatic, sacred, and chamber works. (Performers in Ars Lyrica’s recent Madrigals of Love & War concert included countertenor Michael Skarke, YTA’s 2020 Silver Medalist in Voice.)
In a recent email interview, Dirst shared insights on establishing Ars Lyrica Houston and offered valuable advice for emerging artists.
Please tell us about founding Ars Lyrica Houston. What inspired you to create it?
I came to Houston in 1996 to accept a full-time position on the musicology faculty at UH. At that point, my university position included an early music group, the Collegium Musicum. For several years I worked with singers and some instrumentalists in the Moores School programs on various performance projects, including some Baroque stage works. It quickly became apparent that we needed a professional contingent of players to support such programming, hence the birth of Ars Lyrica as an adjunct to the MSM Collegium.
Ars Lyrica became a 501c3 when I got tenure, and I retired the Collegium a few years later to focus my energies at UH on being a musicologist. The last 20 years have seen Ars Lyrica grow steadily, from a small to a mid-sized organization with an international reputation.
What do you find rewarding about your work with Ars Lyrica?
Working with talented colleagues from all over the world, making great music together, and reaching a grateful public with it.
What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned since launching your career?
Finding the right niche is crucial. We live in a big world with endless choices, so defining yourself and getting really good at what you do is essential.
What are some of the challenges facing young artists these days?
A highly competitive field, lack of opportunities, and a distracted public.
Do you have any advice for young, emerging performers?
Get all you can out of your education and every performance project, and never stop learning.
Work hard, don’t cut corners, and develop a point of view that is grounded in deep expertise.
And most importantly, enjoy and take pleasure from your art!