Bio
As a Northern Ireland-based session guitarist with over 25 years of experience, Matt has performed on more than 1,000 professional recordings across a wide range of genres, with jazz ensembles to symphony orchestras. While remaining active as a professional performer, his recent work focuses on guitar research and performance enhancement methodologies. Since completing his PhD at in music performance , he has lectured in music and research at both Ulster University and at Southern Regional College, where he combines extensive industry experience with academic rigour to support the next generation of musicians.
Matt’s research centres on practice-based approaches to jazz and contemporary performance with a particular focus on guitar technique, improvisational interaction, and harmonic language in contemporary jazz. His work examines how technical innovation can expand improvisational vocabulary and enable greater flexibility in navigating complex harmonic and intervallic structures. Through the development of original technical systems, compositions, and documented performances, his research positions instrumental technique as a site of artistic inquiry. This work integrates performance, composition, and analytical reflection, contributing to broader discussions surrounding practice-based research and creative methodologies in contemporary music.