BIOGRAPHY

Matt Richard studied classical piano with the late Ken Manzer and jazz piano with Dr. Billy Taylor. Workshops and performance master classes included jazz legends Max Roach, Marian McPartland, and Michael Brecker. A native of Fairhaven and a graduate of Westfield State College with a degree in piano performance, Matt taught choral music at both Fairhaven High School and at Tabor Academy in Marion. Matt was a vocal coach and accompanist for the nationally recognized Jazz In July Workshops at UMASS, Amherst from 1985-2006.

Matt has performed throughout the New England area for the past thirty years as a soloist, an accompanist, and with many different ensembles including jazz vocal legend Sheila Jordan, Dick Johnson and The Artie Shaw Orchestra, Bombay Jim Porcella and The Swingin' Sapphires, Fred Tillis, the late Emil Haddad, Lou Columbo, Gray Sargent, Nnena Freelon, Marshall Wood, Bruce Gertz, Dave Zinno, Greg Hopkins, Jim Robitaille, Lisa Thorson, Semenya McCord, and Marcelle Gauvin.

Matt currently teaches private piano lesson at The Symphony Shop in dartmouth, Massachusetts in addition to providing accompanimnets for St. John The Baptist Church each weekend. Current projects include the Heb King Memorial Jazz Jam held one Sunday a month at The Symphony Music Shop and The Southcoast Jazz Orchestra.

Matt played solo piano at The Roadhouse Cafe in Hyannis, Massachusetts from 1997-2008 as well as joining with Lou Colombo and Dick Johnson on the famous Monday Night Jazz Series beginning in 2002. In 1999, Matt released a compact disc recording entitled Hawthorne Street Connection and the disc has been very well received, playing on many major jazz stations throughout New England.

Additional recording projects include: a piano/guitar duo CD, The Art of the Duo, with Jim Robitaille, a piano/vocal CD, Opening The American Songbook, with Marcelle Gauvin, and a supporting role on Jim Robitaille's CD, To Music, which features saxophonist Dave Liebman. In 2004, Matt released his first jazz solo piano recording entitled Talking To Myself and his most recent recording project is OFF SEASON which features drummer Gary Johnson and bassist Dave Zinno.