Short Biography
Matthew Heap is an internationally performed composer who focuses on vocal music to a large degree. He is also very involved in the theatre community as an actor, director, and writer. Matthew received his BFA from Carnegie Mellon University, MMus from the Royal College of Music in London, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. He has studied with Leonardo Balada, Eric Moe, Nancy Galbraith, Mathew Rosenblum, and Timothy Salter. Matthew is also a member of Alia Musica Pittsburgh, an ensemble dedicated to the performance of new concert music from Pittsburgh composers.
His compositions range dramatically from completely atonal to musical theatre. He believes in using the techniques and materials that best express the idea that he is hoping to represent, whether they be microtones, multiphonics, 12-tone practices, or traditional triadic harmony. Recent pieces have been built on tone rows that have a few tonal implications in an effort to produce a music that is the amalgam of the new and old. Most recently, Matthew has been experimenting with aspects of spectralist technique.
Matthew can be contacted at matt.heap "at" gmail.com