“Un tiempo fue Italica famosa is an album of the highest quality. Palmer performs with flawless technique, deep levels of personal expression, and an artistic integrity that seems far too rare these days. He delivers a first rate performance on each track, and performs with such a deep knowledge of the music it leaves no doubt that he is on his way to becoming one of the best classical guitarists on the planet.”
- Brad Conroy, Guitar International
“A sense of celebration, a sustained rock-solid technique, and flashes of brilliance keep this program cycling in the ear. Artistic brooding is paired with an often playful sense of "controlled" freedom. Through it all there is a performance quality that denies the player ever practiced; so precise is every gesture, so deliberate and secure is each complex figure, and so steady and unwavering is the speed, that there is a general impression Palmer was simply beamed fully formed to Earth on a blue shaft of light and started playing a guitar this way.”
- Roger A. Cope, Classical Voice of North Carolina
“Matt Palmer is one of the most extraordinary young guitarists I have heard in the last few years. His ability on the instrument in quite outstanding and the ease with which he takes on the most challenging works of the guitar repertoire is impressive. I wish him all the success in his career that he clearly deserves.”
- David Russell, Grammy-award winning guitarist
“Classical guitarist Matt Palmer is one of a kind. Combining the soul of an artist, the technical virtuosity of the highest caliber and a heightened sense of musicality, Palmer’s uniqueness is also his greatest strength. While other guitarists’ posses a comparable level of expression, technicality and musicality, to find them all in one player, and at a young age, is a rare occurrence to say the least.”
- Matthew Warnock, Guitar International
Matt Palmer ranks among the elite virtuosos of his generation of classical guitarists. Recipient of the 2010 “Up and Coming Guitarist of the Year” award by Guitar International Magazine, Matt is gaining worldwide recognition as a virtuosic and soulful concert artist. His performances have been described as “powerful and emotional,” and “highly expressive and technically virtuosic.” An active performer, winner of numerous guitar competitions, and author of “The Virtuoso Guitarist” method, Matt is emerging as a major force in the modern guitar world.
His debut CD, Un tiempo fue Itálica famosa, has been applauded by Guitar International as “an album of the highest quality. Palmer performs with flawless technique, deep levels of personal expression, and an artistic integrity that seems far too rare these days.” Classical Voice of North Carolina proclaims Matt’s “positively nuclear” debut displays “stunning precision and unwavering accuracy enclosed in a huge dynamic envelope.”
Primarily self-taught as a youth, he began his formal studies at age 20 with Dr. William Yelverton at Middle Tennessee State University, and has since received his M.M. at Appalachian State University, where he studied with Dr. Douglas James. Matt is currently in the final stages of a D.M.A. degree at The University of Arizona under the guidance of Professor Thomas Patterson, and receives further instruction from Artists-in-Residence David Russell, Sergio Assad, and Odair Assad.
Matt has had the honor of studying in masterclasses with world-renowned artists, including Pepe Romero, David Tanenbaum, Andrew York, Lorenzo Micheli, Scott Tennant, Denis Azabagic, David Starobin, Roland Dyens, and Aniello Desiderio, among others.
In demand as a performer and teacher, Matt has performed and lectured at guitar festivals and universities throughout the United States. Recent performances include concerts at the Tennessee Guitar Festival, Tucson International Guitar Festival, Interlochen Guitar Festival, WIU Guitar Festival, Las Vegas Guitar Festival, Texas A&M Guitar Symposium, and Appalachian Guitarfest. In addition, Matt’s pioneering method and workshop has been recognized as a valuable addition to guitar pedagogy.
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