Album Notes

Matthew Coley is a marimba, percussion, and dulcimer artist specializing in contemporary solo and chamber music and concerti. He is currently professor of percussion at Iowa State University, and holds degrees from Northwestern University and the University of North Texas.

In addition to being renowned marimba and percussion artist, Matthew spends half of his musical time performing on dulcimer and cimbalom. While regularly incorporating dulcimer into his work with SI2 percussion duo much of Matthew’s work has been committed to expanding the contemporary repertoire for the dulcimer and he has premiered and/or commissioned over 20 new works.

Matthew performs regularly as a soloist throughout the US and Europe, and has traveled to Chisinau, Moldova to perform concerts, concerto premieres, and master classes. He has performed as soloist with such ensembles as San Francisco Sinfonietta, Millennium Chamber Players, Moldavian Philharmonic and Tele-Radio Orchestras, and Third Coast Percussion. He has also been featured twice on Chicago’s WFMT Radio Station and in Time Out Chicago Magazine.

In 2008 Matthew placed third in the prestigious 5th World Marimba Competition Stuttgart, and is the first American to ever place in this competition. In 2005, he placed third in the Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist Competition, and in 2000 won first in the Music Teachers National Association Solo Percussion Competition and the Percussive Arts Society International Marimba Concerto Competition. Matthew has presented concerts and master classes at several universities throughout the US, some of which include Louisiana State University, University of Maryland, and Virginia Commonwealth University. He is endorsed and published by Innovative Percussion, and published by Edition SVITZER. He can be found on the web at www.hearmatthewcoley.com.