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Matson Topper
Violin, Viola

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Matson A. Topper has been an Instructor of Music at Valdosta State University since 2000 and has served in a variety of duties since his appointment. Currently he teaches Violin, Viola, World Music Cultures, Chamber Music and is conductor of the VSU string ensemble. Additionally, he performs with the Valdosta State University String Quartet and the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra. After a twelve-year career as a full-time first violinist with the Florida Symphony Orchestra in Orlando, Matson Topper enrolled in the doctoral program at Florida State University serving as Teaching Assistant to the distinguished violin professor Eliot Chapo leading to the Doctor of Music degree. He studied viola with Dr. Pamela Ryan and was awarded a Certificate in World Music. Matson Topper earned a Bachelor of Music Degree with Distinction from Indiana University and was a student of Franco Gulli, Henryk Kowalski, and Tadeusz Wronski.

Dr. Topper has enjoyed a varied professional career and has performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, New York. He has been a member of the first violin section of the Fort Wayne Symphony and the Tulsa Philharmonic, and has performed as a first violinist with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, he has held title positions with the Brevard (FL) Symphony, and the Winter Park Bach Festival Orchestra. During his tenure with the Florida Symphony, Matson Topper spent several years on the faculty of Rollins College teaching strings and performing with the Carlo String Quartet as first violinist, and as concertmaster and assistant conductor with the Rollins Chapel Orchestra. He also taught on the faculties of Southeastern College and Florida Southern College. Dr. Topper is frequently in demand as a concertmaster and has served in this position with diverse ensembles and artists including the Central Florida Symphony, the Tampa Bay Chamber Orchestra, the National Touring Company of Gilbert and Sullivan, the Ray Charles Orchestra and the Moody Blues Festival Orchestra. Dr. Topper recently concluded a seven-year tenure as concertmaster of the Albany (GA) Symphony Orchestra. He has soloed with the Tampa Bay Chamber Orchestra, the Chipola Symphony Orchestra and the Central Florida Symphony. Matson Topper performs on a violin by Giacinto Santagiuliana, Vicenza 1829, pictured in Loan Exhibition of Stringed Instruments and Bows, New York, 1966, commemorating the seventieth birthday of Simone Sacconi.