Matthew Brand is an 11th-grade student at Horace Mann School and a dedicated musician with a wide-ranging background in classical, jazz, and contemporary music. He began studying piano in 2013 with Donna Weng Friedman and is currently enrolled in the Scholar’s Program at Mannes Prep, where he studies classical piano, composition, music theory, ear training, and jazz. He studies composition with Dr. Steven Sacco and performs in the jazz ensemble under the direction of Martin Shapiro.
In addition to his work at Mannes, Matthew studies jazz and composition with Adam Dyer in London, England. He also works with Jason Pomerantz on songwriting and vocal performance. From April to July 2024, he wrote, produced, and recorded a self-titled five-song EP of original pop-rock music at Smash Studios Midtown, which has garnered over 20,000 streams across all platforms.
Matthew has participated in a number of prestigious programs, including the Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Litchfield Jazz Camp, and the Manhattan School of Music’s Jazz Composition and Performance program. He has also studied jazz guitar with Joe Ravo.
Since 2022, Matthew has achieved notable recognition for his musical accomplishments. He won the Progressive Musicians Concerto Competition and performed the first movement of Haydn’s Concerto in D Major—featuring his own original jazz cadenza—at Weill Carnegie Hall with the New York Chamber Players’ Orchestra under Maestro Giacomo Franci. In 2024, he composed a jazz-inspired concerto for piano and orchestra titled Fusion Fantasy, which was selected as a finalist in the Mannes Prep Concerto Competition.
Beyond the classroom and concert hall, Matthew is committed to using music for social impact. He is the founder and host of UrbanAid, an annual charity rock concert at Horace Mann, and regularly performs in rock and jazz venues across New York City, including the Mercury Lounge, Stephen Talkhouse, and The Delancey.
Photo credit: Matthew Borkowski.