Matt Witten - Artist
Matt Witten is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where he received the Bachelor of Music degree and the coveted Performer’s Certificate. In May 2001, Matt received a Master’s degree as a graduate assistant in percussion at Rowan University (NJ), where he studied with Philadelphia Orchestra timpanist, Don Liuzzi. Currently, Matt is in the D.M.A. program at the Eastman School of Music where he studied with acclaimed soloist and teacher, Michael Burritt.
Presently, he is on the faculty at Monroe Community College, Nazarteth College and is in his fourth year as the director of the University of Rochester's Percussion Ensemble. Matt endorses Encore Mallets Inc. Notably, Matt performed completed a year tour of the US with the first national company of “Little Women” the musical, 2005-2006 and in March 2002, Matt was a featured faculty soloist in Joseph Schwantner's Concerto for Percussion with the Rowan University Wind Ensemble at the Queens College (NYC) Percussive Arts Society Day of Percussion. Some highlights of Matt's rewards are, he was the first place national winner of the Music Teachers National Association Collegiate Soloist Competition (2001), first place winner of the 9th Annual Crane School of Music’s New Music Festival Solo Competition (2001), first place winner of the National Young Artists Competition sponsored by the Midland-Odessa (TX) Symphony Orchestra (2001), and winner of the Rowan University Orchestra Concerto Competition (2001). Matt was also the second place winner of the South Orange (NJ) Symphony Orchestra 2000 Concerto Competition. In 1998, Matt was the percussion soloist competition winner at the Aspen Music Festival
Professionally, Matt performed regularly in the pits of many Broadway shows, including, "A Catered Affair", “The Light in the Piazza”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Little Women”, “Dracula” and Baz Luhrmann’s production of Puccini’s La Boheme on Broadway. In November 2007 Matt performed with an Eastman ensemble that accompanied Garth Fagan's Dance Company at the Joyce Theatre in Manhattan. Matt has also performed with Randy Newman (Philadelphia, PA), the New York based percussion group Pulse, the Ocean City (NJ) Pops, the Chatham Festival Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall (NY), Metropolitan Greek Chorale (NY), the Bridgeton (NJ) Symphony, the Haddonfield (NJ) Symphony Orchestra, the Bay-Atlantic Symphony (NJ), the Bel Canto Opera Company (Philadelphia, PA), the Philadelphia Chamber Chorus and Orchestra (PA), Weston Playhouse (VT), Forestburg Playhouse (NY), and Melanie Stewart Dance Theater in Philadelphia (PA). Matt can be heard on Michael Tenzer's album, Let Others Name You, playing with Ossia and on the soundtrack for Second Story Man, with music by Eric Zabriskie.
As a proponent of chamber music, Matt is a member of the JAM percussion duo and Fracas, a new music quartet consisting of percussion, guitar, saxophone and piano. His primary teachers were, Mike Burritt, Bill Cahn, John Beck, Donald Liuzzi and Dean Witten. Matthew has also performed in a number of international master classes with renowned percussion and marimba artists, Keiko Abe, Nebojsa Zivkovic, Robert Van Sice and Gordon Stout.