“Matthew Whitaker is music. To see and hear him play is to know that divine talent exists. Beyond his innate musical abilities is a sheer joy and passion to create music.” — WBGO Radio, Newark, NJ

Born in Hackensack, New Jersey in 2001, Matthew Whitaker has been garnering acclaim for almost as long as he has been making music. At 13 years old, Whitaker became the youngest artist to be endorsed by Hammond Organs in their 80+ year history. At 15, he was named a Yamaha Artist, the youngest musician to join a stellar roster of jazz pianists. This led to a performing career that has taken him all over the world playing on some of the world’s most famous stages. In both 2019 and 2020, he won the ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers award for his compositions, Emotions and Underground.

22-year-old Whitaker will feature music from his newest album, Connections. This sixteen-track collection is Whitaker’s third album and serves as a bold declaration of his maturity as a player, composer and bandleader. 

Funds provided by the Henry Mancini Tribute Fund and the Kevin Jeske Young Artist Fund.