Artistic Staff

A native of York, PA, Gabriel Benton enjoys a multifaceted life in music as a church musician, accompanist, performer and teacher. He lives in Wilmington DE, where he is the director of music and organist at Grace United Methodist Church. He holds degrees in harpsichord and organ performance from Oberlin, Juilliard, and Yale. Passionate about working with singers, he has been both accompanying and singing with various choirs from the time he was in high school.

As a harpsichordist and early music specialist, he regularly performs solo recitals, chamber music, and orchestral music across the United States. He is harpsichordist
for the Serafin Ensemble in Delaware as well as for American Bach Soloists in San Francisco. Other regular collaborations have included Brandywine Baroque in Delaware, American Baroque Orchestra in Connecticut, La Speranza in Texas, and New World Symphony in Florida.

Gabriel has been the recipient of several awards including first place in the York Symphony Orchestra Youth Concerto Competition, the Earl Russel Award in historical performance, and the Charles Ives organ scholarship. In 2022 he was awarded the Jeffrey Thomas award for “exceptionally gifted emerging professionals in the field of Early Music who show extraordinary promise and accomplishment.”

J. Matthew Lista (Matt) is a conductor, educator, tenor, and music ministry leader based in the Greater Philadelphia region. With more than nearly two decades of experience in choral music, music education, and arts leadership, he has built a career dedicated to inspiring musicians of all ages through performance, teaching, and community engagement.

Matt recently completed the Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting at Temple University’s
Esther Boyer College of Music and Dance, where he studied conducting with Dr. Rollo Dilworth, Dr. Paul Rardin, Dr. Mitos Andaya Hart, and Maestro José Luis Domínguez. Matt’s degree focus centered around larger choral-orchestral works and programmatic representation of minority and marginalized composers. Additional studies included early music, topic theory, and opera production with Brandon McShaffrey, Ellen Rissinger, and Eiki Isomura where Matt served as Chorus Master and Assistant Conductor for Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Rossini’s La Scala di Seta. Matt’s graduate conducting recitals exploring themes of storytelling, peace, social justice, and female voices.

An accomplished music educator, Matt served for ten years as General Music Teacher and Choir
Director in the Avon Grove School District and previously taught music at Tacony Academy Charter School in Philadelphia. Matt is the founding director of Tacony’s choral program and the auditioned ensemble at Avon Grove Intermediate School (Antíphōnos). At competitions and festivals, Antíphōnos consistently received high honors and remarks from its inception. He additionally holds a Master of Music degree in Music Education with a concentration in Technology (West Chester University of Pennsylvania, 2018) and a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education with concentrations in choral conducting and vocal performance (Temple University, 2013) where maintains instructional certifications in Pennsylvania and its shared border states.

As a conductor and church musician, Matt has led choirs, handbell ensembles, children’s music programs, orchestras, technology teams, and worship arts ministries throughout southeastern Pennsylvania. His professional appointments have included leadership positions with Concord Liberty Presbyterian Church, Wayne Presbyterian Church, and St. Luke Lutheran Church. He also served as a Conducting Apprentice with the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia, studying under nationally recognized conductors Dominick DiOrio and Heather Mitchell.

As a performer, Matt has appeared with numerous distinguished ensembles, including the Wayne Oratorio Society, Temple University Choirs, and Philadelphia Singers. His performance experience includes collaborations with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Charles Dutoit, appearances at the Kimmel Center and Carnegie Hall, and participation in major choral-orchestral works by Bach, Beethoven, Duruflé, Fauré, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Verdi, Vaughan Williams, and many others. He has also been featured as a soloist in world-premiere performances and recordings, and has participated in international music education and cultural exchange programs.

Active in professional service, Mr. Lista is a member of the American Choral Directors Association,
Chorus America, the National Association for Music Education, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association. His musical interests include choral conducting, vocal performance, music technology, composition, and the transformative role of music in education and community life.

In addition to music, Matt is the proud husband his amazing wife, Rachel, and father to two gorgeous and loving daughters. In his spare time, Matt enjoys gardening, photography, and cooking.