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Matthew Evan Taylor

Matthew Evan Taylor
Composition and Theory
 

Composer and improviser Dr. Matthew Evan Taylor (1980) has been hailed as a composer whose music is “insistent and defiant…envelopingly hypnotic” (Alan Young, Lucid Culture). His music has been performed across the United States and Europe by such ensembles as the Cleveland Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, and Metropolis Ensemble. As a performer, Matthew has collaborated with such creators as musician Elliott Sharp, visual artist Dannielle Tegeder, and dancer Sara Shelton.

Dr. Taylor’s music is sparked by his curiosity about the surrounding world and the inherent social bonds built through music. Whether he is addressing issues about the nature of time or the bounds of the human breath on musical performance, Dr. Taylor writes music that is engaging, surprising, and unmistakably human. His aesthetic is typified by vibrant instrumental colors, mercurial juxtapositions, and an affinity for groove.

Innovative projects such as Say Their Names, Postcards to the Met, and The Unheard Mixtapes were created as new templates for composition and performance in the wake of the pandemic. His ongoing series The Living Score aims to decolonize the compositional process by democratizing the most precious Western musical artifact – the musical score. He is also focusing much of his work on the climate crisis and redefining virtuosity.

Dr. Taylor’s music is available on all streaming platforms through New Amsterdam Records. He serves as a member of the music faculty at Middlebury College – where he is Assistant Professor of Music – and the composition faculty at the Longy School of Music of Bard College.