BIOGRAPHY

Hailing from Tully in Far North Queensland, Australia, Mathew performed regularly in local eisteddfods with success and has since had his work for saxophone orchestra, Images of an Australian Landscape, premiered in Paris, 2015. He has also received commissions from Brisbane ensemble Stitched Saxophone Quartet and his former high school, Tully State High School.

Mathew has regularly performed as a member of the Queensland Conservatorium Wind Orchestra and is principal baritone saxophone in the Queensland Conservatorium Saxophone Orchestra. In 2015, he travelled with the saxophone orchestra to Europe where the ensemble performed at the XVII World Saxophone Congress, Strasbourg, France. Mathew also performed as a member of the Australian Saxophone Orchestra.

Mathew is now a third year at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music studying a Bachelor of Music in saxophone and composition under woodwind specialist Diana Tolmie and Australian composer Gerard Brophy, respectively.

Current compositional projects include a second commission for Stitched Saxophone Quartet which makes use of an unorthodox SSAA instrumentation, extended techniques and microtonality; and, small works for the concert band at Tully State High School. The idea behind this project is to use a friendly environment to engage students with new music, unusually playing techniques and dissonant harmonies.

Composer website:  http://mathewklotzmusic.wix.com/mathewklotz

FEATURED WORKS

The A,T,C,G of Paramecium, for saxophone quartet.

A discussion, through music, of equality in our world with a focus on the LGBTQ community and marriage equality, but also with reference to gender and race equality. The unorthodox instrumentation ask the question: what defines “normality” in a relationship? And how can different relationships coexist in either a musical work or an innovative, 21st century world?

The title, The A, T, C, G of Paramecium, refers to the four bases of DNA (A, T, C and G) and the single-celled organism Paramecium. All species have the basic A, T, C, G structure, making none more dominant than the other at this micro level. While archaic, Paramecium reproduce asexually and thus have achieved a state of “ultimate equality”.

Featured in Playlist 11 – Saxophone Waves (30/11/2015)

A short guide to an improvisation, for two flutes, clarinet, alto saxophone, three vibraphones, two pianos, viola and double bass.

Commissioned by the Queensland Conservatorium New Music Ensemble. An exploration of time-based phrases and varying levels of improvisation. The piano focused opening and closing sections of the work are inspired by Brisbane-based composer, Erik Griswold’s, work for 16 pianos, written for the unveiling of The Piano Mill. Thick choir-esque textures were heard in much of this work which are translated into layers of polyrhythms over two pianos in “A short guide to an improvisation”. This layering of polyrhythms and piano resonance also has origins in an improvisation performed with trombonist, Ben Marks, at the same event Erik’s work was premiered. Ben and I stood on a wooden stage on one side of a small valley, surrounded by thick Australian bush. As we performed, I would sound short but rapid phrases and hear the pitches linger in the air, creating lasting harmony as they died away. The piano resonance in “A short guide to an improvisation” emulates this idea of a note still having an effect on our ears as it decays into silence.

The first improvised section gives performers intervals and lines depicting how they might move between respective intervals. Rhythm, articulation and phrasing are at the performers’ discretion. The proceeding improvisation is a duet between the alto saxophone and clarinet, where each is given a set of pitches but, again, with no indications of rhythm, articulation or phrasing. The climax of the improvisations is a freely improvised section between the full ensemble.

Featured in the playlist Percussive Waves (April 2017)