Senior Vice President for Advancement

The Curtis Institute of Music (Curtis), the nation’s most selective music conservatory, is pleased to announce the appointment of Matt Sware as senior vice president for advancement, effective September 16, 2024. In this role, Sware reports to the president and CEO, Roberto Díaz, and serves as a key member of the senior management team. As Curtis commemorates its centennial year, Sware joins the school at an exciting moment of growth and celebration and will define the roadmap for Curtis’s future fundraising success. 

An experienced advancement professional, Sware joins Curtis from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) where he most recently served as executive director of clinical development. In this role, Sware led a high-performing major and annual giving team across all medical subspecialities. His tenure at CHOP began in 2020 as director of development for the department of pediatrics, and later executive director of major gifts. Prior to CHOP, Sware served as vice president of development at the Institute for New Economic Thinking, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization devoted to addressing major economic and social challenges to create a more equal, prosperous, and just society. Sware’s early career experience includes development roles at the Clinic for Special Children in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). 

A baritone soloist and early music specialist, Sware brings to Curtis a passion for the school’s mission. He earned a bachelor’s degree in cognitive psychology and music performance from CMU, as well as a master of business administration from Yale University. 

Jack Gorman led this search with Nicole Poe and Sandeep Kaur.