Sydney pianist and composer, Matt McMahon began classical piano lessons when he was seven, but it was in his teens that his interest in jazz began, influenced by the recordings of Miles Davis and Weather Report and live performances by such Australian greats as Mike Nock, Bernie McGann and Paul Grabowsky. Matt completed a BA from the University of Sydney in 1992 with an honours degree in English Literature. He later completed an Associate Diploma in Jazz Studies from the NSW Conservatorium of Music where he studied with Mike Nock and Roger Frampton, and studied in New York.
Matt has led his own groups including his trio, and is involved in the collaborative group “The Band of Five Names” featuring Phil Slater and Simon Barker, with whom he has recorded two albums. Matt won the National Jazz Award at the 1999 Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and has performed with many of Australia’s jazz icons including Vince Jones, James Morrison and Don Burrows. He is actively involved in the jazz community as a broadcaster and founder of the Jazzgroove Association, and has an interest in jazz education. He currently teaches at the NSW Conservatorium of Music and tours both nationally and internationally.
Matt’s Fellowship funds will go towards a recording project featuring his own compositions and those of Australian musicians who have influenced him.
