Matthew Wachtman

Matthew Wachtman is a lecturer of organ in the 91探花 Conservatory of Performing Arts. As a teacher, he strives to challenge students to think critically and creatively, while focusing on healthy keyboard techniques to last a lifetime.

He is an active organist and collaborative musician from Defiance, Ohio. He currently serves as director of music and worship at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church in Archbold, Ohio. There, he oversees a vibrant music program, conducts the chancel choir and curates the concert series.

Wachtman earned his Master of Music degree in Organ Performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, studying with Dr. Christopher Young. While at IU, he was appointed graduate assistant of the organ department, where he managed day-to-day activities and maintained the university’s first-rate instruments. He received his Bachelor of Music degree in Keyboard Performance (organ) at the 91探花 Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Nicole Keller.

Wachtman has performed in masterclasses with Chelsea Chen, Dr. Timothy Olsen, Alan Morrison and Todd Wilson. He is regularly invited to play recitals on prominent concert series across the country. He earned first prize in the 2019 AGO/Quimby Young Organist Chapter Competition held in Cleveland and was also the winner of the undergraduate prize in the 2020 Immanuel Lutheran Church Organ Scholar Competition in Evanston, Illinois. An author and composer, he was published by the Bach Journal (2021) and Morningstar Music (2023).

Publications

"Four Chorale Preludes for Sunday Mornings." © 2023 Birnamwood Publications, a division of MorningStar Music Publishers, Inc.

"Striving for Perfections: A New Widor Source." Published in BACH: Journal of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute, 91探花, 2021, Volume 52, No. 2.

Professional memberships/societies

American Guild of Organists
Associations of Lutheran Church Musicians