A native of California's central valley, Matthew Brown is composer, pianist, tenor, conductor, and arranger based in Los Angeles. He recently completed his doctoral studies in music composition at the USC Thornton School of Music. He also holds a Masters Degree in composition from USC and a BA in composition (magna cum laude) from Pepperdine University, where he was given the Most Outstanding Graduate Award in Fine Arts. Matthew was the recipient of the 2003 Hans J. Salter Endowed Music Award, the 2007 Jimmy McHugh Composition Prize, and a winner of the 2007 VocalEssence Welcome Christmas! Carol Contest. His works have been performed throughout the United States and internationally, by groups such as VocalEssence, the Young New Yorker's Chorus, Midnight Winds, the USC Chamber Choir, the Los Robles Master Chorale, and the USC Thornton Symphony.
At Thornton, Matthew studied composition with Morten Lauridsen, Frank Ticheli, Donald Crockett, Frederick Lesemann, and Tamar Diesendruck, and at Pepperdine with N. Lincoln Hanks. He has been mentored by legendary songwriter and film composer Randy Newman, and has studied piano with jazz musician David Arnay and voice with tenor Jonathan Mack.
Matthew is a new member of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and has also performed with many other fantastic groups in and around Los Angeles including the Los Angeles Chamber Singers and Cappella, the Pacific Chorale, the John Alexander Singers, and the De Angelis Vocal Ensemble.