Steve Mathiesen, Principal Percussionist Steve Mathiesen, all it took was the sight of a gleaming snare drum to send him on a lifelong career as a percussionist.
“When I was in elementary school, I had a cousin who was a couple years older than me. And he had this nice, bright, shiny Slingerland snare drum, which I thought was just the coolest thing,” Mathiesen recalls. “In those days, I had to do everything that my cousin did. So, when it came time to choose my instrument for the East Stroudsburg school bands, it was percussion,” he says. “The band director who tried me out wanted me to play trombone, but I would have none of it. “Through the opportunities provided by our school bands, I was able to attend music camps and even got to play timpani for Aaron Copland,” he says. “I also played in a youth orchestra that toured Europe for a month.” Since his days in the East Stroudsburg Area School District’s music program, (he was inducted into its Music Hall of Fame in 2005), Mathiesen has enjoyed a performing arts career that spans many genres, from jazz to classical. A PSO member since 1987, Mathiesen also plays with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, the Binghamton (N.Y.) Philharmonic, the Bethlehem Bach Festival Orchestra, and Mainstreet Brass, and teaches at Marywood, Lehigh, and Moravian universities. |
He has also played shows featuring Bernadette Peters, the Irish Tensors, Aretha Franklin, Regis Philbin, Kathie Lee Gifford, Mitzi Gaynor, and Joel Grey. He received his bachelor of music degree from the Ithaca College School of Music and a master of music degree from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Mathiesen echoes the sentiments shared by his colleagues when asked what he loves most about playing with the PSO.
“It’s a group of friends and colleagues, and it’s a nice, intimate setting in which to play music,” he says. “There’s a lot of repertoire overlap between what a full-size symphony and a chamber music plays. To me, it’s always interesting to hear the difference in sound and color in a chamber orchestra.”
In his spare time, Mathiesen enjoys bicycling, canoeing, and camping.
“Sometimes, when I’m taking a walk or cycling, I often listen to music in my head,” he says. “I can hear the last piece I played or something that’s coming up in the future. Music is always a welcome companion when I’m outdoors and enjoying nature.”
Mathiesen echoes the sentiments shared by his colleagues when asked what he loves most about playing with the PSO.
“It’s a group of friends and colleagues, and it’s a nice, intimate setting in which to play music,” he says. “There’s a lot of repertoire overlap between what a full-size symphony and a chamber music plays. To me, it’s always interesting to hear the difference in sound and color in a chamber orchestra.”
In his spare time, Mathiesen enjoys bicycling, canoeing, and camping.
“Sometimes, when I’m taking a walk or cycling, I often listen to music in my head,” he says. “I can hear the last piece I played or something that’s coming up in the future. Music is always a welcome companion when I’m outdoors and enjoying nature.”