OUR STORY
MetroNOME was founded on the belief that education in general, and music education in particular, is the gateway to a better, more fulfilling life, and we want to make sure that any child who loves music should be able to find a way to play.
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To that end, we will contribute a portion of our proceeds, as well as your direct contributions, to music education groups in the Twin Cities metro area.
MEET THE TEAM
Bill Eddins
Co-Founder + Partner
William Eddins is the Music Director Emeritus of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and a frequent guest conductor of major orchestras throughout the world. Engagements have included the New York Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, the symphony orchestras of San Francisco, Boston, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Houston, as well as the Los Angeles and Buffalo Philharmonics.
Internationally, Eddins was Principal Guest Conductor of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra (Ireland). He has also conducted the Berlin Staatskapelle, Berlin Radio Orchestra, Welsh National Opera, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, and the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra.
Career highlights include taking the Edmonton Symphony Orchestras to Carnegie Hall in May of 2012, conducting RAI Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale on Italian television, and leading the Natal Philharmonic on tour in South Africa with soprano Rene Fleming. Equally at home with opera, he conducted a full production of Porgy and Bess with Opera de Lyon in France, and a revival of the production during the summer of 2010 at the Edinburgh Festival.
Bill is an accomplished pianist and chamber musician. He regularly conducts from the piano in works by Mozart, Beethoven, Gershwin and Ravel. He has released a compact disc recording on his own label that includes Beethoven’s HammerKlavier Sonata and William Albright’s The Nightmare Fantasy Rag.
Matt Engstrom
Co-Founder +
Partner
A native Minnesotan, Matt started playing the saxophone in 4th grade, and continued through high school and college, where he played in both the St. Olaf Band and Jazz Band for all four years. He studied along the way with Mark Engebretson, Rita Kneusel, Kurt Claussen, and Reuban Haugen. Matt’s educational background is in Math and Physics from St. Olaf and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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The .com boom happened right after graduate school, and that pulled in him into the world of Information Technology. A short stint in the consulting world led to a software sales position at Lotus Development Corporation, which in turn evolved into 20 years at “Big Blue” IBM.
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Beer brewing started out as a hobby. He and Bill met in 2015 through youth baseball coaching, and discovered their mutual interest in the miracles that happen when yeast, grain, and hops meet each other. They started collaborating on their brewing efforts, and now the two of them want to turn a hobby into a money-making venture. The proceeds from that will go back into supporting the local music development community.
Kevin Welch
Brewmaster
Kevin Welch has been Head Brewmaster of MetroNOME Brewery since November, 2021.
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As co-founder/brewmaster of Boom Island Brewing, Welch brings a wealth of experience to the MetroNOME team. Since its founding in 2011 Boom Island Brewing has been a mainstay in the Twin Cities brewing industry, specializing in Belgian beers and winning multiple awards for their outstanding products. From 2019 - 2021 Welch gained extensive experience in large-scale brewery operations as Director of Brewery Operations for Lost Coast, the 36th largest brewery in the USA. He also has had a thirty year career as a professional musician, and his knowledge and passion for music education meshes perfectly with the social mission of MetroNOME.
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“My first career as a professional French Horn player was a dream of mine since childhood. After performing for roughly 18 years as a musician, I made a transition to a different art form, brewing. “Two dreams come true” is usually how I describe my journey. Now both dreams will unite at Metronome Brewery. I am very excited to bring my 12 years of brewing experience to Metronome along with the like minded passion for music that I share with the Metronome team. It is a fit that feels very natural. My most inspirational figures in the brewing world are friends I have gotten to know over my years traveling to Europe, Belgium in particular. These brewing friends always respect the science behind brewing, but treat the art of the process with equal if not more importance. It is the discipline, passion and creativity which is where the magic is found. To quote one of my close brewing friends, 'This beer, it is simply a 10 minute performance, in a glass.'"
Elle Rhodes
Director of Sales
Elle is a Co-Founder and Director of Brewing Change Collaborative, a nonprofit with the mission to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion for People of Color in the brewing and beverage industry. In addition, she is a Director on the board of Infinite Ingredient, a nonprofit with the mission to actively support the mental and physical well-being of individuals working in the craft beverage industry.
Elle, always interested in new adventures, is the 2023 Sergeant of the Royal Guard of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival. And along with the obvious family and friends, she highly values a great Czech Pilsner, a full-bodied Shiraz, a delicious Pechuga, and Al's Breakfast.
With Elle's background and experience in sales/distribution at Fulton Brewing Company, and most recently as the National Director of Sales at Du Nord Social Spirits, she is a welcome addition to the MetroNOME team. MetroNOME Brewery looks forward to working with Elle to bring our delicious beer across the Twin Cities Metro area.