Biography

Saxophonist, composer, curator, producer/engineer, arts consultant, and educator Matthew Levy has made an enduring contribution to contemporary music as co-founder and director of the world-renowned PRISM Quartet, and as a collaborator with other artists and ensembles for the past 40 years.

Praised by the Saxophone Journal as “a complete virtuoso of the tenor saxophone” and by Classical Magazine for “gorgeous and ethereal” compositions, his creative work has been supported by fellowships from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, the Independence Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, New Music USA, the American Composers Forum, the Musical Fund Society, and The Presser Foundation.

Matt holds three degrees from the University of Michigan, where he was a James B. Angell Scholar and recipient of the Lawrence Teal Award. His teachers have included saxophonists Donald Sinta, Laura Hunter, Odean Pope, James Forger, Marshall Taylor, and Charles Salinger; music theorists Ellwood Derr, William Rothstein, and Robert Hatten; and composers William Albright, William Bolcom, Frank Ticheli, Fred Lerdahl, and Italo Taranta.

As a solo artist, Matt has commissioned and premiered works by many composers, including Paola Prestini, Renee Favand, Emma O’Halloran, Jacob Walls, Erin Busch, Nick DiBerardino, and David Ludwig; collaborated with a host of choreographers and dance companies, among them Peter Sparling, Scrap Performance Group, and Group Motion Dance Theater; and appeared as a guest artist with numerous orchestras and ensembles, including The Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Network for New Music (core member), counter)induction, Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, and Dolce Suono Ensemble. He has worked with concert pianists Steve Beck, Matt Herskowitz, Charles Ambramovic, and Robert Conway, and jazz artists Franck Amsallem, Ben Monder, Matt Wilson, Gerald Cleaver, and John Riley. Matt has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, ECM, Naxos, Grammavision, Innova, Albany, and Tzadik.

Matt’s compositional output has included works for orchestra, choir, musical theater, dance, jazz, and electronic music ensembles. He has scored four motion pictures, including PBS’s “Diary of a City Priest” (starring David Morse), featured at the Sundance Film Festival. Matt has composed extensively for PRISM Quartet, whose performances of his music have been broadcast by NPR, CBC, and Voice of America, and are featured on PRISM’s self-titled debut CD (1993, Koch International), as well as Real Standard Time (2000, innova), Dedication (2011, innova), People’s Emergency Center (2014, innova), Heritage/Evolution, Volume 2 (2021, XAS), Heritage/Evolution, Volume 3 (2024, XAS), and Generate Music (2026, XAS). People’s Emergency Center, a critically acclaimed double album of Matt’s original music that spotlights guest artists Jason Moran, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Tim Ries, Ben Monder, Jay Anderson, and Bill Stewart was described by PopMatters as “9 Stars, Best Jazz of 2014…too big to fail” and by WRTI as “magic with swirling precision.”

Matt’s work as Executive and Co-Artistic Director of PRISM Quartet has culminated in USIA and USArtists International tours of China, Russia, and Latin America; concerto appearances with the Cleveland Orchestra and Dallas Symphony; recital performances on Carnegie Hall’s Making Music Series and with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; residencies with composition departments at the Curtis Institute and Princeton University; and the release of 40 recordings on ECM, Albany, BCM+D, innova, Koch International, Navona, Naxos, New Dynamic, New Focus, Orange Mountain, and PRISM’s own XAS label, which he founded in 2016. The Fifth Century, PRISM’s ECM recording with The Crossing under Donald Nally, was awarded a 2018 Grammy for Best Choral Performance.

In its early days, PRISM was a prize-winner in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, appeared on “Entertainment Tonight” and NPR’s “Performance Today,” and was named by Musical America as “Outstanding Young Artists.” Subsequently, PRISM was a two-time winner of the Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming.

Champions of new music, PRISM has commissioned more than 300 works, many by internationally celebrated composers, including seven Pulitzer Prize-winners: Tyshawn Sorey, Julia Wolfe, William Bolcom, Jennifer Higdon, Zhou Long, Susie Ibarra, and Bernard Rands; MacArthur Fellows Bright Sheng, George Lewis, and Miguel Zenón; Guggenheim Fellows Kati Agócs, Anna Weesner, Martin Bresnick, Chen Yi, Mandy Fang, and Steven Mackey; and jazz masters Greg Osby, Dave Liebman, Chris Potter, Ravi Coltrane, Joe Lovano, Steve Lehman, and Melissa Aldana. PRISM’s collaborators are a who’s who of contemporary music-makers and include BMOP, Ethel, Talujon, So, Partch, Music From China, Cantori New York, The Crossing, the New York Consort of Viols, Opera Colorado, Inti-Illimani, as well as dance companies Philadelphia Ballet, Miro Dance Theatre, and Nai Ni Chen Dance Company.

Matt has worked as a music instructor for much of his career. He currently serves on the faculty of Temple University Boyer College of Music and Dance where he maintains a robust saxophone studio. He has previously taught at the universities of Pennsylvania, Redlands, Michigan, and Toledo, and Settlement Music School. He has also served as a mentor for the Curtis Institute of Music’s Community Artist Program (CAP), which provides gifted students with the opportunity to develop entrepreneurial skills.

Matt’s professional life continues to span a range of cultural interests and disciplines. He maintains a production studio where he edits, mixes, and masters recordings for XAS Records, and an arts consulting practice which has included work with The Corzo Center for the Creative Economy at the University of the Arts, Ars Nova Workshop, and Sruti, The India Music & Dance Society. From 2000–2011, he directed the Philadelphia Music Project, an Artistic Initiative of The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, where he oversaw the program’s grant-making, founded and edited its annual magazine, led professional development field trips, and curated seminars, symposia, and book lectures.

Matt is a member of the Producers & Engineers Wing and Songwriters & Composers Wing of the Recording Academy. He plays Selmer saxophones and mouthpieces exclusively.

SHORT BIO

Saxophonist, composer, curator, producer/engineer, and educator Matthew Levy has made an enduring contribution to contemporary music as co-founder and executive director of the world-renowned PRISM Quartet, and as a collaborator with other artists and ensembles for more than 40 years. Matt has been hailed by The Saxophone Journal as “a complete virtuoso of the tenor saxophone” and by The New York Times for his “energetic and enlivening” performances. He is the recipient of fellowships from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, the Independence Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. He has scored four motion pictures, including PBS’s Diary of a City Priest, featured at the Sundance Film Festival. Matt has recorded for Albany, BCM+D, BMOP/Sound, Deutsche Grammophon, ECM, Grammavision, Innova, Koch International, Navona, Naxos, New Dynamic, New Focus, Orange Mountain, Tzadik, and XAS, which he founded in 2016. People’s Emergency Center, a critically acclaimed double album of Matt’s original music that spotlights guest artists Jason Moran, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Tim Ries, Ben Monder, Jay Anderson, and Bill Stewart was described by PopMatters as “9 Stars, Best Jazz of 2014…too big to fail” and by WRTI as “magic with swirling precision.” A member of the Network for New Music Ensemble, Matt has premiered solo works by Emma O’Halloran, Paola Prestini, Nick DiBerardino, Renee Favand, Jacob Walls, Erin Busch, and David Ludwig; collaborated with a host of choreographers and dance companies, among them Nai-Ni Chen Dance Co., Philadelphia Ballet, Peter Sparling, Scrap Performance Group, and Group Motion Dance Theater; and appeared as a guest artist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Dolce Suono Ensemble, and counter)induction. His work with PRISM has included tours of China, Russia, and Latin America; concerto appearances with the Cleveland Orchestra and Dallas Symphony; and recital performances presented by Carnegie Hall and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He serves on the faculty of Temple University Boyer College of Music and Dance where he maintains a robust saxophone studio, is a member of the Producers & Engineers Wing and Songwriters & Composers Wing of the Recording Academy, and performs exclusively on Selmer saxophones.