Phyllis Pan, piano
Xenia Deviatkina-Loh, violin I
Mona Tian, violin II
Ben Bartelt, viola
Mark Bassett, cello

Schoenberg Hall, The Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA

Flight in the Falling Light is the first of what will eventually be four movements for piano quintet, and it was born of a collaboration between myself and my friend Lexii Alcaraz, a dancer, choreographer, and director based out of Lighthouse Circus Theater in San Diego. Our initial idea was to tell a story about a character succumbing to and recovering from depression, which it so happens I know something about. The title I decided on for the music is “Consolations,” after a book by the English poet David Whyte, who I discovered during a long and difficult struggle with depression and panic disorder. The overall narrative of the piece is encapsulated in the title - the struggle with mental illness is made bearable, especially for artists, by the discovery of beauty in the ordinary. As such, rather than try to musically depict the experience of panic or anxiety, my piece aims to be a balm for those like me who have found solace in music, poetry, and stories in times of difficulty - it is a contemplative gesture of gratitude to the music and poetry that shaped my recovery and ultimately led to my decision to return to music school after a ten year hiatus in an attempt to restart my career.

"Beauty especially occurs in the meeting of time with the timeless; the passing moment framed by what has happened and what is about to occur: the scattering of the first spring apple blossom, the turning, spiraling flight of a curled leaf in the falling light; the smoothing of white sun-filled sheets by careful hands setting them to air on a line, the broad expanse of cotton filled by breeze only for a moment, the sheets sailing into dryness, billowing toward a future that is always beckoning, always just beyond us. Beauty is the harvest of presence." - David Whyte

Consolations - I. Flight in the Falling Light

Mocked up in Noteperformer

Scott Lynch’s debut, The Lies of Locke Lamora, is a fantasy crime thriller in which the prose itself is as lovable a rogue as its title character. Rather than adapting the story scene for scene, this tone poem attempts to capture the setting and style of the novel. The opening sets the stage of Camorr, an otherworldly Venice built around the glass-like ruins of an ancient civilization. The first full thematic statement, still slightly melancholy, represents the protagonists’ shared history as orphans brought up by a priest in service of a trickster god. The music accelerates to flaunt the swashbuckling nature of the characters’ con artist escapades, and gives way to delicacy to represent the meticulous level of care and training underpinning their false identities. This dance-like interlude builds toward increasing levels of vehemence giving way to anguish; the lethal stakes of the central conflict have a way of sneaking up on the reader, but are cemented by a ruthless string of catastrophes past and present. A return to earlier swagger depicts the delightfully haphazard gallantry that characterizes the conclusion of the central conflict.

The Lies Of Locke Lamora - Mockup

Julia Johnson, mezzo-soprano
John-Micah Braswell, piano
Danny Pravder, engineer and mixer

Amy Lowell’s poetry is characterized by a delicate balance of imagistic intimacy and frank directness. “Autumn”, “Strain”, and “The Painter on Silk” are, respectively, a picture, an affliction, and a story, but common across all three is a distinct contemplative focus. Beneath the overall illustration in “Autumn,” the poet’s vantage point encompasses the motion of individual objects in nature contained within the cyclical passage of time. “Strain” is a stark depiction of grief-induced insomnia. “The Painter on Silk” is a narrative on the meditative experience of creativity that unifies all three texts - the titular artist experiences the tragedy of war through the lens of his craft.

Three Meditations

Tableaux Parisiens

Performed by Filarmonica Toscanini
Tonino Bautista, conductor
Monastery of of Saint Augustine, Siena, Italy.

The creative act requires that we become comfortable with being alone. The Slow Regard of Silent Things takes its title from a novella by my favorite author, Patrick Rothfuss. It’s a very unusual little book; there’s only one character, and no dialogue. And yet, It manages to create a deep emotional resonance by depicting the character’s relationship with her surroundings. To me, it’s a story about finding inner stillness and grace. It’s a story about experiencing beauty and transcendence in simplicity and subtlety by cultivating a deeper awareness of the world.

There’s a quote that I often had in my head while I was composing, a quote that beautifully captures the quintessence of the creative act. It illustrates a peculiar and ineffable mindfulness, which, for artists, feels like a brush up against the true alchemical gold.

“She took a slow and steady breath. There was a tension in the air. A weight. There was no wind. The world grew stretched and tight. Her tiny feet upon the stone floor were bare. She stood, and in the circle of her golden hair she grinned and brought the weight of her desire down full upon the world. And all things shook. And all things knew her will. And all things bent to please her.”

The Slow Regard of Silent Things

Revised 2024 Version

Original version premiered by Orchestra Senzaspine
Matteo Parmeggiani, conductor
Monastery of of Saint Augustine, Siena, Italy. 2023.

With Bright Beneath was written for the 2023 Academia Chigiana summer institute, and was the first time I had an opportunity to write for orchestra in over a decade. In keeping with the idea that the grail is found in the darkest part of the forest, I doubled down on the unfamiliarity of the project by setting out to compose a theme and variations, a form with which I had not previously experimented. The shape and narrative of the piece began to crystallize when I encountered a particularly beautiful passage in Patrick Rothfuss’s novella, The Slow Regard of Silent Things, in which the main character searches ancient subterranean ruins for a gift for her friend and caretaker. The protagonist, Auri, has a very unusual way of looking at the world, seeing potential for beauty in ordinary objects and personifying them, and she reacts with glee when she perceives things as fitting together in just the right way. For me, the theme and variations form is grounds for unlocking the potential of simple motifs - the opening five notes of the piece forms the basis for nearly all of the material, but each permutation feels like a distinct object or persona, with their own roles to play in ordering the piece’s narrative arc.

"He was not a one for fastening. For holding closed. Neither was he dark. Oh no. He was emberant. Incarnadine. He was bright with better bright beneath, like copper-gilded gold." -Patrick Rothfuss, The Slow Regard of Silent Things



With Bright Beneath (2024 Version)

I. Quintessence (0:00 - 9:30)
II. Moduli (9:30 - 21:15)

Performed in Mixon Hall at the Cleveland Institute of Music, 2012

Dorothy Ro, violin
Andris Koh, cello
Maggie Morrison, piano



In loving memory of my father.

Piano Trio

...and the clouds turned colors never before dreamed as the sun chased the moon across the sky.

Performed by the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra conducted by James Feddeck in Severence Hall, 2012.

Chasing The Moon

Synchronicity - Demo Recording

Matt Smith, born in the vibrant city of San Diego in 1987, has become a notable composer and musician based in the bustling creative hub of Los Angeles, California. His musical journey began to take shape when he earned both his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music in 2010 and 2012, respectively. Matt's compositions have found a home on esteemed stages worldwide. His works have been premiered in renowned venues such as Severance Hall in Cleveland, Ohio; the Aspen Summer Music Festival in Aspen, Colorado; the Atlantic Music Festival in Waterville, Maine; and the Academia Chigiana in the picturesque city of Siena, Italy.

In addition to his achievements as a composer, Matt is an experienced educator, sharing his passion and knowledge with aspiring musicians. His dedication to education is a testament to his belief in the power of nurturing the next generation of musical talents.

Matt's versatility extends beyond composition and performance. From 2014 to 2022, he delved into the realms of production and arrangement in Los Angeles, contributing his skills to the rich tapestry of the city's music scene. The inception of the electro-chamber ensemble Iridas marks another significant chapter in Matt's career. As the founder of Iridas, Matt and the ensemble explored a diverse repertoire, seamlessly weaving together standard classical pieces, jazz, and his original electro-acoustic compositions. The ensemble's dynamic performances resonated not only throughout Los Angeles but also across borders, as they embarked on a successful 20-city tour of China.

Currently, Matt is pushing the boundaries of his musical exploration as he pursues a Ph.D. at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where he has received a full fellowship and teaching assistantship and studies with acclaimed composer Richard Danielpour.

musicbymattsmith

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