Bio
Matty Metcalfe is an accomplished and versatile musician and
ethnomusicologist who is equally at home in the studio and performance
venues as he is in the classroom. His mastery of many different instruments,
from piano and accordion to banjo and guitar, coupled with his ability to
seamlessly move between and within musical styles keeps him busy as both
a session and touring musician. Mr. Metcalfe also enjoys teaching master
classes that demonstrate the connections within and between musical art
forms through cultures and time—links that add to an ever-evolving pool of
styles that comprise ‘world’ music. His interactive lecture on the origins and
evolution of blues music was recently featured in a ‘Music and Leadership
Symposium’ presented at the Federal Executive Institute (FEI) while his
credentials as a performing musician have led to tours and album credits
with acts from Nashville, TN to Galway, Ireland and to stages such as the
Kennedy Center and the Grand Ole Opry.
By his teens, Mr. Metcalfe had already garnered awards as a classical and
jazz pianist–winning the prestigious Washington D.C. Classical Guild
Award and numerous jazz commendations. He also began studying New
Orleans stride piano, Zydeco and Irish accordion, church organ, and string
instruments such as guitar, mandolin, banjo, and bouzouki. In studying so
many styles and instruments, Mr. Metcalfe naturally became engaged in
learning about the musicological connections between and within cultures–
these pursuits led him to a deeper understanding of the interconnectivity of
music and society at large.
After graduating from the College of William and Mary with degrees in
History and Education, Mr. Metcalfe found himself in demand as a session/
touring musician while also working as a Colonial Balladeer/Historian.
From there, Mr. Metcalfe enjoyed three years teaching classroom music in
Fairfax County, Virginia, before being recommended for the position of
Musical Ambassador at Harvard’s Center for the Study of World Religions.
His duties included facilitating concerts at the school for musicians from
other countries and coordinating master classes and programs with these
various international music acts and Harvard’s educational community.
Mr. Metcalfe’s twin pursuits–teaching and performing music–led him back
to Charlottesville, Virginia–a hub of many musical styles from Appalachian
and Old-Time to Jazz, Classical, and ‘World’. Here, he further developed his
programs–New Orleans Music–Roots, Revision, Revival and Musette
Moderna/Tango a’ Tiempo. In each presentation, he takes listeners on a
journey from the earliest incarnations of the musical style up to modern day
iterations–showing how the idiom (and Art in general) changes, grows,
evolves, and dovetails within and among cultures over time.
Each program features entirely different music, but the common thread of
musical interconnectivity is at the heart of the listener’s educational
experience . In, ‘New Orleans Music’, Mr. Metcalfe introduces the listener
to ragtime and early blues by showing how Classical, African, and
indigenous musical forms blended with the French, German, and Native
cultures to create a new ‘American’ sound. In ‘Musette Moderna’, he
demonstrates the connection between French and Argentine music from the
early 20th century (the Golden Age of these styles) and modern gypsy jazz,
‘electro-tango’, and ‘Gitane’ music today.
Mr. Metcalfe also presented a lecture at the Smithsonian’s American History
Museum on the history of American popular music and is currently working
with Irish/English musicians to develop a lecture/performance on the trans-Atlantic ties between America’s Appalachian/Old-Time tradition and its
ancestral ties to the British/Celtic Isles.
In addition to these educational shows, Mr. Metcalfe has shared the stage
with Buckwheat Zydeco, Sugarland, Robert Randolph and the Family Band,
Sharon Shannon, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, and many others and is a featured
musician on countless albums. His own compositions have been featured in
theatrical productions, two independent feature films and on his own albums.
Curriculum Vitae
Stage/Performance Experience
• 2009-Present—National Touring Musician-‘The Legwarmers’ 1980’s Music Show/
Revue—40-50 shows per year in avg. 1000 seat venues—Instruments include: Fourkeyboard
rig, accordion, electric and acoustic guitars, flute, mandolin, vocals–Large band
and touring crew–Costume changes during show
• 2002-Present—Contracted International Touring Multi-Instrumentalist: The Getty
Family Band (Nashville), Sean Keane Band (Ireland), Sugarland, Ellis Paul, Robert
Randolph Band, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, & many others–performing a range of styles &
repertoire in a variety of settings–Kennedy Center, Stadiums, Arenas, Embassies, Gand
Ole Opry
• 1992-Present—Music Director, Composer, Accompanist, Actor–Stage Productions
(see list below)
• 2000-Present—Studio Musician/Soundtrack Composer/Engineer/Producer–
contracted recordings for National and International Artists, multiple Feature-length
Films, and many other projects-ProTools and Finale proficient
Positions/Employment/Awards
• Performer at Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage—with the Olivarez Trio—2016
• Musical Ambassador to French ‘sister city’ Besancon, France—performed accordion
with group—2016
• Honored Musician/Speaker–Music and Leadership Symposium–Federal Executive
Institute–2012
• Bandleader/Multi-Instrumentalist/Music Programmer–Keswick Hall and
Estate–2010-present
• Music Director/Composer–Live Arts Production of ‘Mother Courage and Her
Children’-2008
• Honored Guest Lecturer–UVA Department of Landscape Architecture (Special Music
Conferences)–2007
• Music Director/Pianist/Accordionist–Live Arts (Charlottesville, Va) Production of
‘Evita’–2005
• Stage Actor/Musician/Composer–Boston Center for the Arts–Production Run of ‘Back
to Before’–2004
• Musical Director–Cambridge (Massachusetts) Music Center–2002-2004
• Musical Ambassador & Concert Organizer–Harvard Center for the Study of World
Religions-2001-2003
• Music Instructor–H.B. Woodlawn & The New School of Northern Virginia–(all
instruments)–1998-2001
• Colonial Balladeer, Historian, Reenactor-Banjo, Flute, Vocals-Colonial Williamsburg
Foundation-1993-97
• Founding Member/National Touring Musician-Accordion, Bouzouki-Celtic band
‘Echolalia’-1994-97
• Composer/Music Director/Accompanist–Stage Door and Act III Productions
(Washington, D.C.)-1990-92
• First Prize Winner–Washington D.C. Classical Piano Guild Competition–1990
Special Skills/Qualifications
• Classically trained (from age four) with extensive jazz/improv/theory instruction on
piano, guitar, accordion. Mastery of these and other instruments: bass guitar, button
accordion, concertina, banjo, mandolin, harp bouzouki, ukulele, flute, synthesizer,
glockenspiel, marimba, harmonica, percussion, drum kit, & more
• Total sight-reading fluency with standard music notation, charts, lead sheets for any of
the above instruments
• Flexibility learning any style of music through any method (by ear, with sheet music,
etc) and ease of understanding musical form, arrangements, instrumentation to master
and memorize parts, plus perfect pitch
• Significant experience arranging, orchestrating, and composing for large groupsvocal
and instrumental
• Adaptable to any situation whether on or back stage, solo or small/large ensemble,
bandleader or pit musician
• Ever-growing performance-ready repertoire from classical, jazz, pop, rock, world,
folk, modern, tango & more
• Vast experience improvising at a moment’s notice and adapting quickly based on role in
production
• Effective communication skills-can cogently train other musicians, teach parts, use skill
set to help others
• Team player with years of experience working with other performers to achieve the
desired collective goals
• Positive attitude, eagerness to learn, open mind, creative energy, organization skills,
healthy diet/exercise routine
• B.A. Degree and Education Certification from the College of William and Mary plus
post-College courses