Zach Matteson

Zachariah Matteson is a violinist, educator, and arts administrator based in Austin, Texas. As a founding member of the string quartet Invoke, Zach has appeared at venues including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and Joe’s Pub. He has collaborated extensively with the Guarneri, Borromeo, St. Lawrence, and Enso Quartets, and has also performed alongside artists including Clarice Assad, Eighth Blackbird, Judy Collins, The Eagles, Burna Boy, and Tank (of Tank and the Bangas).

Through Invoke, Zach has commissioned and premiered works by composers including Takuma Itoh, Akshaya Avril Tucker, Jonathan Bingham, and more than 40 composers from across the United States and abroad. His recordings include three studio albums with Invoke, collaborations with Graham Reynolds on film scores including Hit Man (2023) and Where’d You Go, Bernadette (2019), and appearances on recordings with Patty Griffin, Sam Lipman, and others.

A dedicated educator, Matteson has presented residencies, masterclasses, and workshops at institutions including Stanford University, University of Maryland, Virginia Tech, University of Iowa, Syracuse University, University of Idaho, the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and more. His outreach work includes extensive educational programs with local school districts through the Austin Chamber Music Center, Quad City Arts, and the Riverside Music Series. He has also developed new accessible performance and education initiatives for neurodivergent communities, including programs created in partnership with Music 4 Autism, Azure Concerts, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, and The Moss Arts Center. Since joining the Austin Symphony in 2024, Zach has been a Teaching Artist working with area middle and high schools to create new ways of connecting with orchestral and chamber music.

Zach began studying violin in Barnaul, Russia, at the age of four before continuing his musical education in Kalispell, Montana. He earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of Maryland, where he studied with David Salness, Irina Muresanu, and Kimberly Fisher. In 2016, Invoke was selected as the Young Professional String Quartet in Residence at the University of Texas at Austin, where the ensemble studied with the Miró Quartet. The group went on to earn top honors including First Prize at the M-Prize International Chamber Arts Competition and the Victor Elmaleh Competition presented by Concert Artists Guild.

Back in Austin, Zach performs regularly with the Austin Symphony Orchestra as a member of the First Violin section, Austin Unconducted, and Austin Soundmap. Since 2024, he has served as the creator and curator of Under the Hood, an Austin-based concert series that brings together artists from diverse musical traditions to explore the creative process through performance, poetry, and conversation. Outside of music, Zach publishes The Chirper, a local poetry periodical focused on haiku and short-form poetry, tends to his apiary, bartends, and enjoys rock climbing adventures in Montana and Texas.

www.zachmatteson.com
www.invokesound.com