Dr. Matthew Poon, the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra's (ECCO) new music director, will make his debut with the group at its season opener, “Of Dancing and Dreaming,” on Sunday, Sept. 7, at the Pablo Center (128 Graham Ave., Eau Claire). 

The 25-piece orchestra will perform Bach's Third Brandenburg Concerto (G Major), Dvorak's Czech Suite, and Haydn's Symphony No. 104 ("London") at the 2pm show in JAMF Theater.

Dr. Matthew Poon, pictured, will debut as the ECCO Music Director during the Sept. 7 season opener. (Submitted photo)

Poon's inspiration for becoming the music director is based on love, pure and simple. “I love conducting; I love making music with others; I love enabling people’s musicianship; I love the planning and seeing things come together,” he shared in an email.

And what makes ECCO musicians unique? Their intensity.

“We have really only three rehearsals before a concert, with each of them lasting three hours,” Poon wrote. “For comparison, most groups I’ve worked with have upwards of a dozen two-hour rehearsals. This kind of intensity rivals fully professional groups like the Minnesota Orchestra. It relies on each musician, including myself, coming fully prepared to even the first rehearsal. We hit the ground running every single time.”

Poon combines a multi-faceted career as a conductor and music theorist. He holds M.M., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Toronto, and a performance diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

Currently, he is an assistant professor of music theory at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and music director of two other area groups: the Chippewa Valley Youth Symphony and the St. Croix Valley Orchestra.

Poon's Canadian ties remain strong. He is both an artistic advisor and music director of the Canadian Chinese Orchestra – which consists of musicians playing traditional Chinese instruments – and the ME & Lau Family Foundation's annual concerts, featuring professional musicians alongside students with disabilities, respectively. 

So, how does Poon manage all the things he does and do them well? He credits the “do it now” mentality inspired by Peter Oundjian, longtime music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Poon pointed to the way Oundjian scheduled meetings as a prime example of that mentality: when people tried to schedule meetings, Oundjian would reply, "no, let's take two minutes to do this right now." 

”

(ECCO'S) KIND OF INTENSITY RIVALS FULLY PROFESSIONAL GROUPS LIKE THE MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA.

It relies on each musician, including myself, coming fully prepared to even the first rehearsal. We hit the ground running every single time."

DR. MATTHEW POON

ECCO MUSIC DIRECTOR

The "do it now" mentality is one that has served Poon well when juggling multiple responsibilities. He also credits his lovely and supportive wife, Amey Leung, whom he married shortly before moving to Eau Claire in August 2023.

Poon picked up his first musical instrument – the piano – at age five. “My parents asked me if I wanted to learn, and me not knowing what it was about, said yes,” he wrote. “In their mind, they wanted me to have something to do in my spare time when not playing video games. No one expected that I would make it my career.

“I haven’t performed regularly since my senior recital in 2012, but I play piano all the time in my music theory classes,” he continued. “It is a very versatile instrument, and I use it to demonstrate why certain things work or don’t work.”

By high school, Poon knew he wanted to be a conductor. He had watched his dad and others conduct choirs at church, further inspired to chase his musical dream. 

“The more I studied music, the more I felt I had something to contribute as an artistic leader, and so I focused my energies on conducting,” he wrote.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Matthew Poon as ECCO’s music director,” ECCO Executive Director Elizabeth Hart stated. “He has extensive experience directing orchestras, is a vital link to the UW-Eau Claire community, and has a passion for classical music that will inspire the ECCO musicians and the orchestra’s audiences.”

This season, ECCO concerts will be Sunday afternoon matinees, with season ticket packages – five concerts for $99 – are on sale through the Pablo Center until the group's first concert. The season opener's tickets can now be purchased online for $30/person (free for those ages 21 and under, plus fees).  

Learn more about the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra and keep up with the group on Facebook (@eauclairechamberorchestra) • Additional information can be found related to Dr. Matthew Poon's career online