Saxophonist Matt Evans is an avid soloist, chamber musician, teacher, and arranger. Currently on faculty as Adjunct Professor of Music Theory at Roberts Wesleyan College, Matt is completing a DMA in Saxophone Performance and Literature and an MA in Music Theory Pedagogy at the Eastman School of Music. Matt previously completed his MM and BM in Saxophone Performance and Literature at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
As a soloist, Matt has performed in Thailand, Germany, and throughout the United States. In 2012, Matt won 2nd Prize in the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Woodwind Competition and in 2011 he advanced as a semi-finalist in the 3rd International Jean-Marie Londiex Competition. Matt also earned 2nd prize in the Lakeshore Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition in 2008, and he has been awarded the Performer’s Certificate at the both the Eastman School of Music and the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, the highest performance distinction awarded at either institution.
Matt is a founding member of the internationally renowned Zzyzx Quartet, and the Eastman-based Project Fusion saxophone quartet. Zzyzx recently performed a featured concerto at the 2012 North American Saxophone Alliance in Tempe, AZ, and in May 2011 became the first American chamber ensemble to advance to the semi-final round of the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition in Osaka, Japan. Zzyzx also won 2nd prize in the inaugural North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet Competition at Columbia, SC in 2010 and has been a featured artist in the Saxophone Journal. Project Fusion has recently sparked national interest through the unique feat of performing entire musical programs completely from memory, and in 2013 Fusion won the Gold Medal at the 40th Annual Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, Grand Prize and the Hugo Vianello Audience Choice Award at the Plowman Chamber Music Competition, and 1st Prize in the Music Teachers National Association Chamber Ensemble Competition. In 2012, Fusion won 2nd prize in the North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet Competition, 2nd Prize in the J.C. Arriaga Chamber Music Competition, and the Coleman-Saunderson Prize at the 76th Coleman International Chamber Music Competition. In 2013, Matt received the John Celantano Award for Excellence in Chamber Music from the Eastman School of Music.
Matt was Assistant Director of the Eastman Saxophone Project from 2012-2013 and oversaw the proliferation of the ensemble through social media when ESP’s performance of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring garnered over 27,000 views on YouTube in a three-day span. A contemporary music enthusiast, Matt is also President of OSSIA New Music and he has commissioned new works by prominent composers such as David Maslanka and John Mackey.
Matt can be heard on Zzyzx’s two critically acclaimed albums – Intersections and Zzyzx Road released in 2010 and 2013 respectively. Matt is a Yamaha Performing Artist as well as an Artist-Clinician for d’Addario Woodwinds, and he performs on Yamaha saxophones and d’Addario Reserve Classic reeds exclusively.