Max Matzen to Utah State University

Dr. Max Matzen has been named Assistant Professor of Trumpet and Brass Studies at Utah State University beginning in August 2012.

Matzen will administer applied trumpet lessons, direct jazz ensembles and teach high brass methods. For the past two years, Matzen has served as Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Texas Tech University.

Matzen maintains a very active career as an international chamber recitalist and solo performer. In the summer of 2011 Matzen completed a recital tour in the Osaka region of Japan, including performances in the Jeugia Performance Hall in Kyoto, Japan. As a member of the Emerald Brass Quintet, Matzen performed as a soloist for the New York premiere of Jim Stephenson’s Dodecafecta with the Eastman Wind Ensemble in April

2011. His endeavors with the Emerald Brass also feature multiple recital performances as a featured ensemble at the 2010 Frankenwald Brass Festival in Hof, Germany.

More of his notable performances include his Carnegie Hall debut with the Eastman Wind Ensemble under the direction of Mark Scatterday in February of 2005. He has appeared at the famed North Sea, Vienne, and Montreaux jazz festivals with the University of North Florida Jazz Ensemble 1. He has performed and assisted in master classes at the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) conferences in Toronto, New York City, and New Orleans. A few of the notable jazz artists he has performed with include Terence Blanchard, Benny Green, Slide Hampton, Antonio Hart, The Heath Brothers, Conrad Herwig, Pat Martino, Bob Mintzer, James Moody, Eddie Palmieri, Maria Schneider, Ira Sullivan, and the legendary Clark Terry.

In April of 2011, Matzen completed the Doctor of Musical Arts in trumpet performance and literature at the Eastman School of Music, studying with James Thompson. He has also completed the Master of Music in trumpet performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music, and a Bachelor of Music in jazz studies from the University of North Florida.

Source: Matthew White, Coastal Carolina University