Mr. Matsukawa is principal bassoon of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he was a pupil of Bernard Garfield. He also studied at the Juilliard School and precollege with Harold Goltzer and at the Manhattan School of Music Preparatory Division with Alan Futterman.

He has been a recipient of numerous awards and prizes, including a solo concerto debut in Carnegie Hall at age eighteen. Since then he has appeared as a soloist with several orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra; National, Virginia, and Curtis symphony orchestras; New York String Orchestra under Alexander Schneider; Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand; and Sapporo Symphony in Japan. He has participated in festivals including Marlboro, Tanglewood, Aspen, Saito Kinen, and Pacific Music Festival in Japan.

Mr. Matsukawa was principal bassoon of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., for three seasons. He has also served as principal with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Symphony, and Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Matsukawa joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2002.

Mr. Matsukawa teaches at the Matsukawa Millard Bassoon Workshop as part of Curtis Summerfest 2013.