Matt Schumaker
Matt Schumaker’s music engages with research in computer-assisted composition, interactive computer music with performers, and parametric approaches to music and computer graphics. He received a doctorate in Music Composition from UC Berkeley (UCB), where he studied with composers Edmund Campion, Cindy Cox, Franck Bedrossian, Ken Ueno and David Wessel. Early on in his studies, Schumaker spent a formative year in Amsterdam, studying with Louis Andriessen. More recently, Schumaker moved to France through UCB’s Prix de Paris program, working closely with composer Martin Matalon while composing his dissertation piece. Soprano Ann Moss premiered this work, As I ride the late night freeways, with the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Milnes.
In recent years, his works have been performed by the UC Berkeley Symphony, Radius Ensemble, Dinosaur Annex, Winsor Music, New Music Works, Eco Ensemble, and the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble. His music has also been presented at festivals and curated events, including by clarinetist Rane Moore at the Virtual SICPP 2020, by pianist Chia-Lin Yang at the April in Santa Cruz Festival, by members of Dog Trio at the klub katarakt Festival for Experimental Music in Hamburg, Germany, by clarinetist Joshua Rubin at the soundSCAPE Festival in Blonay, Switzerland, by pianist Hyeyeon Jung at the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC 2024) in Seoul, South Korea, and by pianist Eric Huebner at the Gassmann Electronic Music Series at UC Irvine.
Schumaker’s multimedia work combining music and computer graphics has been shown at Zeitgeist Gallery in Nashville, the Crisp-Ellert Art Museum in Saint Augustine, the Richmond Center for Performing Arts at Western Michigan University, the Performing Media Festival in South Bend, Indiana, ICMC 2025 in Boston, and at the Museum of Science Boston presents WAVEFORMS.
His writing on computer-assisted composition appears in The OM Composers Book 3 (IRCAM/Delatour). From 2018 to 2020, Schumaker was an MLK Visiting Scholar at MIT, where he also taught for three years. He joined the faculty of the Music Department at UC Santa Cruz as Assistant Professor in September 2021.
Contact: matt [dot] schumaker @ gmail [dot] com
Photo by Sam Brewer