Matt Barbier

Matt Barbier is an LA based musician focused on experimental intonation, noise, and the physical processes of their instrument. Their playing has been described by the LA Times as being "of intense, brilliant, virtuosic growling that gave the striking impression that Barbier was dismantling the instrument while playing it," by the Wire as “exploring the nooks of instrumental tone far beyond the reach of most mortals,” and by the New Yorker as being a "diabolically inventive trombonist-composer."

Matt engages in collaborative relationships with a range of musicians including  Michelle Lou, Catherine Lamb, Kevin Drumm, Kaori Sazuki, and Katherine Young. As an interpreter they have also given premieres by a broad spectrum of composers including

George Lewis, Liza Lim, Wolfgang von Schweinitz, Jacob Kirkegaard, Jessie Marino,  Scott Walker, and Sarah Davachi.

Matt is a member of RAGE Thormbones, gnarwhallaby, wasteLAnd music, wildUp, and is an active soloist on low brass instruments. They teach at CalArts and  Los Angeles City College (LACC).

Matt has presented work for the Monday Evening Concerts, LA Phil's Green Umbrella, Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt, Spor, the Museum of Jurassic Technology, Bludenz Tage zeitgemäßer , Indexical,  Frequency Festival, InAuthentica, RedCat, and Issue Project Room, as well as presenting at CalArts, UCSD, UCSB, University of British Columbia, and DePaul. They have also been in residence at Harvard (HGNM), UCSD, Stanford, Princeton, UCSC, Columbia, NYU, and UCLA. Matt has released work on Carrier, Populist, Mode, Hat Hut, Innova, Faux Amis, and Kairos Records. Additionally, they have released a technical manual for trombonists on the production and integration of lip multiphonics and split tones.

Matt has written music and created sound installations for the Factory Seconds Brass Trio, WasteLAnd, gnarwhallaby, the Exploritorium, RAGE Thormbones, the Museum of Jurassic Technology, SASSAS,  Machine Project, LACMA, and the Getty Villa, as well as in collaboratin with digital media artist Tom Leeser.