Harpsichordist Matthew Dirst is the first American to win major international prizes in both organ and harpsichord, including first prize at the American Guild of Organists Young Artist Competition (1990) and second prize at the Warsaw International Harpsichord Competition (1993). Founding Artistic Director of Ars Lyrica Houston, Dirst also serves as Associate Professor of Music at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music. His degrees include a PhD in musicology from Stanford University and the prix de virtuosité in both organ and harpsichord from the Conservatoire National de Reuil-Malmaison, where he spent two years as a Fulbright scholar. His performances of Bach’s Goldberg Variations have enjoyed wide critical acclaim.