Chelmsford's Harrington Elementary School Music Teacher Adds New Gig

CHELMSFORD, MA — Matthew Buono, the music teacher at Chelmsford's Harrington Elementary School, has taken on a new project.

Late in the summer, Buono was named the Music Director of the Andover Choral Society (ACS), a position he will hold in addition to his responsibilities at Harrington.

Buono was selected for the new position by the Andover Choral Society Board of Directors, and he is just the fifth music director since the group began in 1929.

"I am very honored to have been selected from such a strong pool of candidates to continue the historical tradition the Andover Choral Society has had with long-serving music directors," Buono said at the time of his hiring. "I'm looking forward to working with this talented and dedicated group of singers as we prepare to bring outstanding choral music to the Merrimack Valley."

Buono, in his second year at Harrington, said he believes his new position with the ACS will complement his job in Chelmsford Public Schools.

"Being a musician and having choral experience, I'm always looking for something to expand my career and bring these experiences back to my students," Buono said. "I like my students to know they can move on in music if they want to."

In addition to teaching and directing, Buono — a bass-baritone — is a member of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, which has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops.

Buono also has performed with the Metropolitan Chorale in Brookline, the Illuminati Vocal Ensemble in South Hadley and the Vellichor Ensemble in Worcester.

A resident of Dracut, Buono holds a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a master's of music education from Gordon College. He also is a member of the National Association for Music Education and the Massachusetts Music Educators Association.

Buono already has conducted two open rehearsals with the ACS, which rehearses once a week. The group opens its 93rd season by performing "Ein Deutsches Requiem" by Johannes Brahms, which is scheduled for Feb. 5, 2023, at West Middle School in Andover.

The ACS currently has about 60 members, and Buono said he is trying to increase numbers within the group, which was hit hard by COVID.

"A lot of things were placed on hold (during the pandemic). I'm hoping to bring the excellence of choral music while also diversifying membership and repertoire," Buono said.