The Rochester Symphony Orchestra is proud to announce the winner of the 2026 Rita May – Young Artist Competition, Matthew Averyt.

Matthew (21) is a senior studying with Amir Eldan and Kangho Lee at the University of Michigan, where he is co-principal cellist of the University Symphony Orchestra. He began studying cello at age 11 with Ryan Murphy.

Matthew won the 2019/2020 YOSA Concerto Competition, resulting in four performances with the San Antonio Philharmonic. In 2023, he won third prize in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition. Recently, Matthew was named a finalist in
The University of Michigan SMTD Undergraduate Concerto Competition.

He has made appearances at the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Summer Music Institute, Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), Center Stage Strings, Orford Musique Academy, the Aspen Music Festival, and
School, the New York String Orchestra Seminar, and Taipei Music Academy and Festival, collaborating in a competition with cellists, including Rachel Young, Mark Kosower, Horacio Contreras, Leo Singer, Richard Aaron, Rafael Figueroa, and Ben Hong.

Matthew has performed in master classes for Marilyn de Oliveira, Kenneth Freudigman, Christine Lamprea, Andrei Ioniță, Bion Tsang, Astrid Schween, Ani Aznavoorian, David Finckel, Paul Marleyn, Dennis Parker, Sterling Elliott, Ole Akahoshi, and has also played piano since age five and studied with Dr. April Brahinsky for 12 years.

Matthew plays a James and Henry Banks cello made in 1800 and a Charles Espey bow.
Matthew will be playing the third movement from Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor,
Op. 104 at the RSO’s May 22, 2026, concert held at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Rochester, MI.

We want to thank all the talented young artists who entered the competition and invite you to apply again in the future for The Rita May – Young Artist Competition.

Please revisit our website www.rochestersymphony.com later this Spring for the 2027 competition guidelines.