Internationally renowned conductor, speaker, and author, Dr. Matthew Arau empowers people to their shatter limiting beliefs, unlock their full potential, and lead with confidence and energy. As the founder and CEO of Upbeat Global and author of the bestselling book, Upbeat! Mindset, Mindfulness, and Leadership in Music Education and Beyond, Dr. Arau believes in the power of gratitude and joy to make meaningful, transformative change from within. Drawing on his 30 years as a conductor, music educator, leadership expert, and professor, Matthew empowers high-performing educators, leaders, and business owners to move from exhausted to energized through focusing on mindset, mindfulness, and leadership.

Additionally, Dr. Arau is an Associate Professor of Music Education and Symphonic Band Conductor at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, a Conn-Selmer Education Clinician, and the Leadership Editor for GIA Publications. Dr. Arau has guest conducted, led professional development, and presented clinics on leadership, mindfulness, overcoming burnout, growth mindset, rehearsal techniques, and creating positive cultures in 42 states and 4 continents in person. Thousands of students have attended his Upbeat! Leadership Workshops across the United States to develop their leadership skills and make a positive impact. In addition to being in demand as a keynote speaker, presenter, and professional development facilitator, Dr. Arau has conducted honor bands in Australia, Thailand, Greece, Cyprus, and Malaysia, and All-State honor bands across the United States.

Dr. Arau draws on a deep reservoir of fifteen years of experience as a successful middle school and high school band director in Loveland, Colorado, where he led his bands at Walt Clark Middle School and Loveland High School to numerous honor performances and championships and pioneered the Leadership Symposium. He lives with his wife Merilee in Neenah, Wisconsin accompanied by their sugar glider, Flash, and two Dachshunds, Savannah and Eli.

Visit Dr. Arau’s Website: www.upbeatglobal.com

Dr. Matheus Cruz is Director of Choral Activities at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, where he conducts the UWSP Concert Choir and University Choir and teaches courses in choral music education and conducting to undergraduate and graduate students. He also serves as Artistic Director of the Monteverdi Chorale in Stevens Point.

Originally from Brazil, Dr. Cruz earned his Bachelor of Music Education from the State University of Maringá and a diploma certificate from the State University of Londrina. Prior to moving to the United States, he worked extensively as a K–12 public school music educator and directed community and church choirs. In the U.S., he earned a Master of Music from the University of Missouri–Columbia and later received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri–Kansas City.

Dr. Cruz’s research centers on Brazilian choral music, with particular emphasis on the works of Osvaldo Lacerda (1927–2011) and José Maurício Nunes Garcia (1767–1830). His scholarly work has led to publications, editorial scores, and leadership roles in major choral organizations in Brazil and the United States. His publications include the Choral Journal article “Osvaldo Lacerda’s Choral Legacy: Shaping the Sounds of Brazilian Choral Music,” as well as “Choral Singing and the Elderly – Rehearsal as a Moment of Great Possibilities” (Brazilian Music Educators Association Magazine – ABEM, 2014) and “Choosing the Choral Repertoire: A Conductor’s Task?” (Música Hodie, 2016).

An active clinician and guest conductor in Brazil and in the U.S., Dr. Cruz previously served as Repertoire and Resources Chair for World Music & Cultures for the American Choral Directors Association Southwestern Division (2020–2022). He regularly collaborates with festivals and educational programs in Brazil and the United States, including serving as choral director for major music festivals in Cascavel and Pato Bragado, Paraná, and as a clinician and instructor at the UW–Madison Summer Music Clinic. In addition to his work as a conductor and educator, Dr. Cruz is an active arranger of Brazilian music, with publications released by Pavane Publishing, Gentry Publications, La Voz Publishing, and MusicSpoke.

Dr. Taylor Giorgio is currently the Visiting Assistant Professor of Strings and Music Education at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, where she serves as the string studio instructor and orchestra director, and teaches courses in Music Education, Music Theory, and Music History. During her time at SNC, she has significantly grown the orchestra program and graduated the college’s first string music majors. An enthusiastic educator at all levels, Taylor conducts the String Orchestra for the Youth Orchestra Program at St. Norbert College, serves as a violin sectional coach for the Fox Valley Symphony Youth Orchestra, and teaches and performs as Violin Faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (Twin Lake, MI) and The Clearing Chamber Music Workshop (Ellison Bay, WI). She is looking forward to serving as conductor for the WI-ASTA Young Artist Honors Orchestra in Mukwonago in February 2027. Before moving to Wisconsin, she was the orchestra director at Montford Middle School in Tallahassee, Florida, a conductor and Educational Outreach Coordinator for the Tallahassee Youth Orchestras, and the conductor of the Morgantown Community Orchestra in Morgantown, West Virginia. Taylor was selected to give presentations at the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) National Conference in both 2020 and 2024, was invited as the keynote String Education Lecturer at the West Virginia Music Educators Association state conference in 2023, and co-presented two sessions at the 2025 Wisconsin State Music Conference. She currently serves on the Wisconsin ASTA Board as the Collegiate Chair and as an advisor to the St. Norbert College NAFME student chapter.

An avid orchestral musician, she is the Concertmaster of the Civic Symphony of Green Bay, Associate Concertmaster of the Sheboygan Symphony, and violinist with the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra, Weidner Philharmonic, Manitowoc Symphony, and Sinfonia Gulf Coast. Previously, she was a violin section member of the Tallahassee, Valdosta, and Ocala Symphony Orchestras. As a chamber musician, Taylor performs with Rävarna String Quartet, Florence Strings, the Listeso Music Group (“Candlelight Concert Series”), and the string quartet for the “In Harmony” program through the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra, presenting music-therapy-informed performances in the Fox Cities area. She also performs in a violin-trombone duo with her husband, Kenneth Johnson, where they enjoy the challenge of discovering, commissioning, and arranging works for their unique instrumentation. Fostering her passion for community engagement, Taylor collaborated with the Tallahassee Symphony in 2021 to create the National Endowment for the Arts-supported PBS video series, “Symphonic Safari.” She also served as a violinist and teaching artist in Sinfonia Gulf Coast’s String Quartet-in-Residence from 2018-2020, where she created original and interactive quartet concerts for elementary-aged students.

Taylor enjoys an active calendar as a recitalist, performing annual recitals at St. Norbert College, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and in community spaces in the Northeast Wisconsin and greater Midwest region. In December 2025, she was invited as a guest artist to perform a recital and give a masterclass at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. She has performed as a soloist with the Civic Symphony of Green Bay, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, River Cities Symphony Orchestra, West Virginia University Symphony, and West Virginia Youth Symphony. An advocate for new music, she recently collaborated with Lawrence University composer Gene Biringer, recording a piece titled “Frederick Douglass” with baritone voice and piano. In 2020, she released two premiere recordings featuring works by Otto Luening and Elias Tanenbaum for Shelter Recordings through the American Composers Alliance. She continues to enthusiastically mentor and perform works by St. Norbert College faculty and student composers. Taylor received her Master's and Doctorate in Violin Performance from Florida State University, studying with Corinne Stillwell, and her Bachelor's of Music in Music Education and Violin Performance from West Virginia University, studying with Dr. Mikylah Myers. Taylor lives in Green Bay with her husband, new baby, and dog.