Matthew Krell is an award-winning pianist, composer, educator, and accomplished actor who has been engrossed in the performing arts for sixteen years. He has been recognized in competitions, festivals, and masterclasses internationally and been praised by world-renowned leaders in the disciplines of acting, piano, and composition. Highlights include first place in the California MTNA Young Artists' Competition, first place from the PianoHouse International Competition in the Jazz Category resulting in a performance at Carnegie Hall, second place at the Brevard Music Institute’s Piano Competition, third place in the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition Concerto Division, and first place in composition from the World Piano Teacher’s Association Spain Competition. Krell is noted for his effortless technique, virtuosic repertoire, comedic sensibilities, and audience appeal. He is a sought-after collaborative artist, with over six thousand hours of accompanying experience spanning choral, orchestral, theatrical, instrumental, vocal, and session recording fields. He holds his Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music with an advanced certificate of theory, as well as the rare Licentiate of the Royal Conservatory in Piano Performance with distinction. At the piano, Matthew continually challenges himself, exploring a diverse range of genres and instruments from the Harpsichord and Organ to Synth and Keytar. His penchant for blending classical roots with contemporary flair is evident in his original albums and EPs: Winter, Doxology Vol. I, O Sacred Head, and Vortex. With his substantial list of the standard repertoire composers, Matthew also seeks out and presents the music of lesser-known composers from the past like Muzio Clementi, Charles-Valentin Alkan, Jean-Philippe Rameau, CPE Bach and others, as well as the music of living composers. A passionate student of jazz, his style and sound have drawn comparisons to Art Tatum and Dave Brubeck. Virtuosic arrangements of pop-genre hits, original compositions, and contemporary settings of hymns and gospel tunes make regular appearances on recital programs and albums. His compositional style has been described as “contemporary Busoni”, “wildly imaginative” and “cool”. Matthew Krell Teacher In addition to piano, Matthew has seen success as an actor on stages spanning local theatre productions to Off-Broadway in New York City. He was recognized multiple years in competitive festivals with solo presentations of prose, drama, and poetry, resulting in performances at honors recitals, galas, and fundraisers. The area of musical theatre bridges his love of music and of acting, leading to a plethora of opportunities accompanying and coaching soloists, groups, studio sessions, and full large-scale productions since the age of fifteen. ​ Matthew holds a quadruple-emphasis Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance, Pedagogy, Sacred Music and Music Composition from The Master's University, a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from University of Southern California (USC) Thornton School of Music with the honor of Outstanding Graduate, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance with emphases in Choral Music, Jazz Studies and a Certificate in Music Entertainment and Industry Law from USC Gould School of Law. He also has completed diplomas from the Trinity College London in Speech Arts & Drama and Musical Theatre with distinction. ​ ​ Dr. Krell lives in Santa Clarita, a suburb of Los Angeles County, with his wife, maintaining a busy schedule as a music teacher, church musician, composer, and concert artist. He serves as President of the World Piano Teachers Association Canada-Composition Division and founded Rhapsodia, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that presents concerts and multimedia projects for emerging artists. Visit https://www.rhapsodia.org/ and https://www.wpta.info/canada-composition/ for more info.