Matthew Dirst
Artistic Director

Founder and Artistic Director of Ars Lyrica Houston, Matthew Dirst is widely admired for his stylish playing and conducting. Winner of major international prizes in both organ and harpsichord, he is featured on two new recordings: Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, and Alessandro Scarlatti’s 1710 oratorio La sposa dei cantici (both from Acis Productions). About the latter, Early Music America notes that “Dirst brilliantly brings it all to life,” in a “historically informed and compelling performance…of this rarely heard work.” Dirst’s other recordings with Ars Lyrica have received similar critical acclaim, including a Grammy nomination for Best Opera (2011). As Professor of Music at the Moores School of Music, University of Houston, Dirst teaches courses in musicology and performance. He is the author of Engaging Bach: The Keyboard Legacy from Marpurg to Mendelssohn (Cambridge University Press, 2012) and Bach’s Art of Fugue and Musical Offering (Oxford University Press, 2023). His academic 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, France, where he spent two years as a Fulbright scholar. For more information, visit www.matthewdirst.com.

Contact: mdirst@arslyricahouston.org

Kinga Ferguson
Executive Director

Kinga Ferguson has experience in both arts administration and vocal performance that spans three countries. She holds an MBA from the University of Lyon, France, and has worked, in Paris, for the Jacques Thelen Agency and European Artistic Management. She has also worked with the USA International Harp Competition and a number of arts organizations in Poland. She holds a Masters and Performer’s Diploma in Voice from Indiana University and has sung with Chicago Opera Theatre, Chicago Humanities Festival, Marion Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Opera Company of the Highlands, Indiana University Opera Theatre, and Houston’s own Opera Vista. She holds an Artist’s Diploma in Piano from the State School of Music in Lodz, Poland. Ferguson is a Fellow of the Paul Daisy Soros Foundation for New Americans.

Contact: kferguson@arslyricahouston.org

Lauren Ross
Marketing & Events Manager

Lauren Ross, a recent dual degree graduate of Rice University, is a passionate arts advocate and community artist. In addition to heading marketing initiatives at Ars Lyrica Houston, Lauren is a DACAMERA Young Artist, where she leads performances and educational workshops across the city at museums, community centers, and schools. Recent performance venues include the Wortham Theater Center, Museum of Fine Arts, and Rothko Chapel. Her 23/24 season features a world premiere at the Buffalo Bayou Park Cisterns. Beyond that, she coaches chamber music with AFA on Saturday mornings, teaches privately, gigs, and rock climbs!

Contact: lross@arslyricahouston.org

Rachel Shukan
Operations & Outreach Coordinator

Rachel Shukan is a University of Houston graduate with a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy. Originally from Somerville, Massachusetts, she has performed with OperaMaine, Wichita Grand Opera, and as Maria in the co-production of Maria’s Magical Music Adventure with both Ars Lyrica and Express Children’s Theater. Rachel uses her own voice studio to promote the joys of music for all ages.

Contact: rshukan@arslyricahouston.org

Jordan Ellisor
Marketing & Administrative Intern

Jordan Ellisor is a third-year graduate student at the University of Houston, studying to receive a dual Master’s degree in Horn Performance and Arts Leadership. They are a passionate arts advocate who wants to make classical music more accessible to queer and BIPOC members, wishing to showcase the voices that are often not heard in classical music. In addition to being an arts advocate, they are also an educator who teaches horn to various school districts in Houston, such as Cypress ISD, Humble ISD and Galena Park ISD.

Outside of this, they also enjoy cooking, baking, crafting, all things cardio (running, hiking, rollerskating, you name it), video games, and turning their brain into pudding with music theory.

Contact: jellisor@arslyricahouston.org