matthew lau

Hailed by the Aspen Times for his “soulful and technically impressive solo” at hisvibraphone concerto debut at the Aspen Music Festival, percussionist Dr. Matthew Lau performs a wide range of repertoire with an absolute commitment to communicating the meaning and essence of percussion music to its audience, from arrangement of Bach’s Violin Sonata on marimba to avant-garde contemporary pieces by Franco Donatoni and Iannis Xenakis. Matthew is the winner of the 2019 Hong Kong Arts Development Award for Young Artist in music.

Pursuing a strong interest in contemporary percussion music, his vision and aesthetic are aimed to expand the ever-growing percussion repertoire by pushing existing boundaries, incorporating electronics & technologies and discovering new sounds. His interest in exploration of new music has led Matthew to commission new pieces with many renowned composers. He is also the co-founder and artistic director of the contemporary percussion group The Up:Strike Project.

A finalist at the 2016 Italy Percussive Arts Society Competition Vibraphone Category, Matthew performs around the world. Recent engagement includes appearance at DrumsFest 2019 Competition & Festival (Moscow, Russia), performance at Percussion Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) 2018 at Indianapolis (USA), recital and masterclasses at Gnessin College of Music (Moscow, Russia), various conservatories and universities in the greater Buenos Aires area (Buenos Aires, Argentina), San Miguel de Tucuman (Tucuman, Argentina), La Plata (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (Melbourne, Australia),University of Western Australia (Perth, Australia), University of Tennessee at Knoxville (Knoxville, TN), Transplanted Root Percussion Symposium 2017 (Brisbane, Australia), Australian Percussion Gathering 2016 (Brisbane, Australia), The Modern Academy Series by Hong Kong New Music Ensemble (Hong Kong), Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice (Boston, MA). Other engagements in the United States include Rite of Summer Music Festival (New York, NY), Necessary Noise Percussion Festival (Montclair, NJ), New York PAS Weekend of Percussion (New York, NY), Make Music New York (New York, NY), Gettysburg Chamber Music Festival (Gettysburg, PA), Aspen Music Festival (Aspen, CO), Bang On A Can Marathon Concert (New York, NY), Film Music Live! (New York, NY). He has also performed in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space New York, Roulette, Firehouse (Brooklyn, NY), Spectrum (NY), Benedict Music Tent, Harris Concert hall (Aspen, CO), Suntory Hall (Tokyo, Japan), KBS Hall (Seoul, Korea).

Matthew obtained his Doctor of Musical Arts in contemporary percussion performance from Stony Brook University under the guidance of Eduardo Leandro. He holds a Master of Music from New York University studying with Jonathan Haas, Simon Boyar, and James Saporito. Previous teachers include Dr. Heung-Wing Lung, and James Boznos. Matthew is currently an adjunct faculty at Hong Kong Baptist University, and maintains a private teaching studio on the side.

Dr. Lau is artist endorser of Marimba One, and Black Swamp Percussion; his signature marimba and vibraphone mallets are made by Elite Mallets. Matthew is on the Swiss-based artist management United Soloists roster. Besides music, he is also an avid knitter and certified as a Level 1 Master Knitter by The Knitting Guild Association.