I teach students of intermediate and advanced levels. I focus on helping students find and learn practice habits and routines that will help them improve and make progress quickly and efficiently. I help them to be successful at practicing and enjoy the practice sessions. I help my students from the Chicago area to successfully prepare for school and CYSO auditions - where they consistently place in the top level orchestras. I also help more advanced young artists with college and professional auditions.

Matous Michal was appointed to the violin section of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) by Maestro Riccardo Muti in 2016. Prior to that he was a member of the first violin section in the Grant Park Orchestra.

A native of the Czech Republic, Matous Michal began his violin studies at age four under his father, Ladislav Michal. At the age of 14, he began studies at the Prague Conservatory as a student of Jaroslav Foltýn. Also at age 14, Michal came to the United States for the first time to participate in a summer program at the Meadowmount School of Music in upstate New York under the tutelage of Charles Avsharian. After graduating from the Prague Conservatory, he joined the studio of Glenn Dicterow and completed his bachelor’s degree at the Juilliard School. While at Juilliard, Michal worked closely with Sylvia Rosenberg and Joseph Kalichstein. In May 2016, he earned his master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music in the orchestral performance program under Dicterow and Lisa Kim, four months after joining the CSO.

Since joining the Orchestra, Matous Michal has regularly performed new music at the MusicNow series as well as chamber music with his colleagues at the CSO chamber series. Matous also enjoys performing at the Chicago Public Schools through Chicago Symphony School Partnerships as well as coaching young fellows at the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and CYSO.