Judge Memorial CHS freshman becomes youngest member ever of local professional chamber ensemble

Courtesy graphic

+ Enlarge

SALT LAKE CITY — Matthew Voss, 15, a Judge Memorial Catholic High School freshman, recently became the youngest person ever to be accepted into the Utah Chamber Artists, a professional ensemble of 40 singers and 40 musicians who perform across the Wasatch Front. Matt, as he prefers to be called, will be part of the ensemble to perform at the group’s spring concert March 18 at Libby Gardner Hall at the University of Utah.

Being accepted as a member of Utah Chamber Artists is akin to “a young high school athlete to be considered an All-American,” Judge’s music director Dr. Shannon Roberts said.

“It’s absolutely phenomenal,” he added. “Singing second bass is a challenge: one has to read well, sing well, be very mature in that kind of a setting, and Matt is able to do all of that.”

Matt’s mother, Melinda Kirigin-Voss, has been singing soprano with Utah Chamber Artists since she was 19 years old and the group’s conductor Dr. Barlow Bradford filled in as director for the University of Utah a cappella choir of which she was a member.  Bradford subsequently invited her to join Utah Chamber Artists, she said.

“I’m thrilled to now be singing with my son,” she said. “I’m really excited for the musical growth and learning that he’s going to experience in this choir. It’s just going to be an amazing opportunity for him to develop as a musician because this group is such an incredible group of singers. The musicianship is off the charts and Barlow [Bradford], our conductor, is just absolutely brilliant so it’s going to be a great growing opportunity for Matthew.”

From fourth through eighth grade, Matt was a student at The Madeleine Choir School in Salt Lake City, where he learned to sing choral music and was trained in music technique. He has been singing bass for a year. In May, Matt will perform a solo rendition of Shubert’s Der Erlkönig at Judge’s concert choir’s spring concert.

“He has unbelievable potential,” Roberts said of Matt. “His range is just phenomenal for a young man his age. He is really quite a talent.”

Matt was motivated to audition with the Utah Chamber Artists because “I’ve always loved going to their concerts. The sound they make – you just can’t recreate it.”

After graduating from the Choir School, he joined Judge Memorial’s concert choir, but still missed the significant part singing played in his life, he said, so in February he auditioned to join Utah Chamber Artists.

“With Chamber Artists, high school students are almost never considered,” he said. “It is all college-aged people and older because they want their voices to be really mature, because if a voice isn’t mature enough you don’t get the right sound.”

“Since I’ve been singing for so long it’s made me mature faster,” he said. “Also, my mom has passed down her natural talent to me.”

Matt was initially shocked when he was offered a place in the ensemble, he said. Then, “After I started to comprehend that it was real, I was very excited and very happy. I’ve always wanted to be part of this group and now that I can be, it’s just a great experience.”

Kirigin-Voss is the director of music at St. Thomas More Parish in Cottonwood Heights, where she attends services with her son. Her mother Judi Kirigin is the music director at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Holladay, where Matt also likes to attend. Matt will be baptized during the Easter season this year.

After high school, Matt hopes to be accepted into the U.S. Air Force Academy and train as a pilot. He will consider their choir program, but will be primarily focused on his dream of becoming a pilot, he said.