Violinist and violist Matt Albert is the Chair of Chamber Music at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance at the University of Michigan. He previously served as the Director of Chamber Music and SYZYGY at the Meadows School of the Arts, Southern Methodist University, and he was a founding member of Eighth Blackbird, with whom he received numerous awards, including first prizes at the Naumburg, Concert Artists Guild, Coleman, and Fischoff Competitions, and three Grammy awards for their recordings on Cedille Records. He serves as one of the concertmasters for Nu Deco Ensemble and regularly plays as the violist with Alarm Will Sound.
Previous collaborations include work with Seraphic Fire, the International Contemporary Ensemble, and Wilco, and his orchestral playing has included appearances with the Shreveport Symphony (as Concertmaster), the Baltimore Symphony, the Sarasota Orchestra (as Associate Concertmaster), and a tenured position as Principal Second Violin of the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra. He has served as a mentor for Evolution: Classical and Evolution: Chamber at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and Nick Photinos's 1:2:1 online workshop. Other leadership roles include three years as the Artistic Director of the M-Prize International Chamber Arts Competition and three years as the Artistic Director of the Music of the Mountains Conservatory in Durango, Colorado. Matt holds degrees from Oberlin College and Conservatory, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and Northwestern University School of Music.
Matt will perform with the Grossman Ensemble on Friday, May 23, 2025.