Musicking
Christopher Small’s 1998 neologism “musicking” works as an apt monicker to describe how I engage with music through a wide range of activities and processes, which include multi-instrumental performance, ensemble direction, composition, arrangement, and improvisation. My training, experiences, and interests are eclectic and connect me – and by extension my scholarship and pedagogy – to a variety of musical and cultural traditions.
Performance & Direction
My primary instrument is the piano, which I play in a variety of styles including classical, jazz, and popular. I have also had formal training in performance on the organ, harpsichord, and flute. Additionally, I have experience playing the following instruments: hurdy-gurdy, tin whistle, recorder, guitar, mandolin, ukulele, ney, saz, banjo, and säckpipa.
Composition & Arrangement
I compose and arrange music for many musical ensembles in contexts as diverse as university symphonies, amateur choirs, K-12 school programs, presentations on neurological imaging, and collections of lullabies. I am interested in the ways in which music can encourage performers and listeners to encounter the unexpected and unfamiliar – the poetry of Scottish mystic George MacDonald; the combined sounds of nyckelharpa, hurdy-gurdy, sitar, and mandocello; the emergence of hermeneutically suggestive musical quotations – and reconsider paradigms of center and periphery.
Interdisciplinary Collaborations
I welcome collaborative connections and opportunities to perform, and often work with my colleagues and students in creating a variety of interdisciplinary performances. These collaborations have included such projects as:
Stage performance of Debussy’s Claire de Lune paired with solo modern dance
Choral performance paired with visual art exhibition
Collaboration with engineering department to create a musical instrument that was showcased in choral concert
A Selection of Performances, Collaborations, and Other Creative Projects
Original composition by Dr. Matthew Roy entitled "The Sleepers Shall Rise" performed by Westmont Choral Union during Vocal Chamber Concert in April 2022 under the direction of Dr. Grey Brothers and accompanied by Dr. Matthew Roy.
“Tàladh Chrìosda (Christ's Lullaby)”, an original composition by Dr. Matthew Roy setting the words of a Gàidhlig Christmas song and incorporating the Scottish jig “Dh' fhalbhainn Sgiobalta”; the English version performed here by the Westmont Choral Union and members of the Orchestra for the Westmont Christmas Festival 2020, under the direction of Dr. Matthew Roy.
Third movement "Adagio" of Robert Fuch's Piano Quartet No. 1 op. 15 performed at the Westmont Faculty Recital in September 2021 with Dr. Han Soo Kim (violin), Aaron Oltman (viola), Chris Ahn (cello), and Dr. Matthew Roy (piano).
Shalom by Dan Forrest performed by Westmont Choral Union during Fall Choral Festival 2021 under the direction of Dr. Grey Brothers and accompanied by Dr. Matthew Roy, with Daniel Macy (violin).
Arrangement of two African American spirituals composed by Kyle Pederson performed by Westmont Choral Union during Fall Choral Festival 2021 under the direction of Dr. Grey Brothers and accompanied by Dr. Matthew Roy.
An original composition written in 2011 on words from “At the Back of the North Wind” by Scottish poet George MacDonald. Performed by the Eastern Washington University Symphonic Choir under the direction of Dr. Matthew Roy.
Arrangement of African American spiritual composed by Patrick Dupré Quigley performed by Westmont Choral Union during Vocal Chamber Concert in April 2022 under the direction of Dr. Grey Brothers and accompanied by Dr. Matthew Roy.
Where the Light Begins by Susan LaBarr performed by Westmont Choral Union during Vocal Chamber Concert in April 2022 under the direction of Dr. Grey Brothers and accompanied by Dr. Matthew Roy.
This Little Light of Mine arranged by Robert T. Gibson performed by Westmont Choral Union during Vocal Chamber Concert in April 2022 under the direction of Dr. Grey Brothers and accompanied by Dr. Matthew Roy.
Complete performance of “Norwegian Wood” (Beatles) arranged by Dr. Matthew Roy and performed by the Santa Barbara Folk Orchestra for their “60’s Concert” in September 2019.
Excerpt from end of “Norwegian Wood” (Beatles) arranged by Dr. Matthew Roy and performed by the Santa Barbara Folk Orchestra for their “60’s Concert” in September 2019.
Excerpt from end of "Parting Glass" by Folk Orchestra of Santa Barbara founder / director Adam Phillips. Performed by the Folk Orchestra of Santa Barbara in September 2019 for the "60's Concert" and featuring Grey Bear Erickson on electric guitar.
“Sun moon stars rain” by David L. Brunner on a text by e. e. cummings, performed by the Westmont Choral Union, under the direction of Dr. Matthew Roy.
Performance of Eric Whitacre's "The Seal Lullaby" with words by Ruyard Kipling. Performed by Westmont's Choral Union under the direction of Dr. Matthew Roy.
A performance of “Lift Thine Eyes to the Mountains” by Felix Mendelssohn from his 1846 oratorio “Elijah”. Performed by Westmont’s Choral Union, under the direction of Dr. Matthew Roy.
Interdisciplinary collaboration with Francesca H. dancing a modern interpretation to Claude Debussy's "Clair de lune," performed by Dr. Matthew Roy.
“Meditation” by Alexander Glazunov performed by Dr. Matthew Roy and Emily Sommermann on violin for the Westmont Faculty Recital in January 2020.
Themes from Pirates of the Caribbean performed Providence High School students in 2018. Arrangement and direction by Dr. Matthew Roy.
“The Light Princess Suite” is a six part composition written and performed by Dr. Matthew Roy for Subverting Laughter, a mixed-media international research collaboration re-imagining George MacDonald’s children’s novel “The Light Princess”. Learn more about the project here.
My arrangement of three folk songs: "Cold Frosty Morning," "Scatter the Mud," and "High Road to Linton," performed by the Providence High School Folk Ensemble in 2020 on violin, guitars, mandolin, tin whistle, and cajón.
The music “Headspace III” was commissioned for a video demonstration of UCSF Chimera molecular visualization software for display in a planetarium dome for the 2014 Biophysical Society Meeting in San Francisco.