Mathew Solomon is an American composer and trombonist living in Istanbul, Türkiye, currently pursuing a Master of Music in Composition at Istanbul Technical University’s Dr. Erol Üçer Center for Advanced Studies in Music (MIAM). He holds dual undergraduate degrees in Music and Physics from Case Western Reserve University, in partnership with the Cleveland Institute of Music, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Following his undergraduate studies, Mathew worked in media composition, composing music for short films, games, and promotional material, as well as electroacoustic sound design for contemporary theatrical projects in Boston’s theater district. He is currently continuing his composition studies at Istanbul Technical University’s MIAM with individual instruction by Reuben de Lautour and Kamran Ä°nce. His thesis explores the compositional creative process, with aims to expand the literature surrounding composition processes and methodologies by pulling from emotion-driven techniques employed creatives in other fields such as function novelists.
In addition to composition, Mathew has extensive experience performing as a trombonist with numerous ensembles in Cleveland and his hometown of Boston. From 2016 to 2021, he served as Principal Trombonist of the New Philharmonia Orchestra in Newton, MA, and Bass Trombonist of the Longwood Symphony Orchestra in Boston under the direction of Ronald Feldman, a Boston Symphony Orchestra veteran. He has performed professionally in big band jazz ensembles, musical theater orchestras, brass quartets, and a Boston-based salsa band. After moving to Istanbul in 2021, he co-founded the Istanbul Klezmer Kapeyle, a high-energy folk dance ensemble that performs regularly around Istanbul and Germany. Most recently, along with 3 other students at MIAM, Solomon co-founded the eclectic chamber ensemble Künefestra, for whom he actively arranges and composes.
