Matthew Oliphant

Matthew Oliphant was born and raised in Royal Oak, MI, where he began his musical studies on the piano at age 6. He later pursued the horn under the tutelage of Susan Mutter, former principal horn of the Michigan Opera Theater. Matthew received his BM from Northwestern where he studied with Gail Williams and Bill Barnewitz.

Matthew is an active freelancer in the Chicago area where he enjoys a versatile career.  He performs with such groundbreaking groups as the new music ensemble Dal Niente, and jazz/rock/improv group the Tomorrow Music Orchestra. He has performed with the Milwaukee, South Bend, Elgin, and Northwest Indiana Symphonies, the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, the Chicagoland Pops Orchestra, as well as acting as guest principal horn of The Florida Orchestra. He has been a member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra, and has performed with the New World Symphony.

An avid chamber musician, Matthew is a member of the Axiom Brass, which has taught and performed at schools and venues across the country, and the New Millennium Woodwind Quintet. During the summer of 2006, he performed with the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria, and attended the Tanglewood Music Center as a fellow in 2008.

As a solo musician, Matthew was named first prizewinner in the National Federation of Music Clubs Biennial Student Competition in 2005. He has performed solos with the Northshore Chamber Orchestra and with the Northshore Concert Band, under the direction of Mallory Thompson. During his free time, Matthew enjoys cooking, which is much more interesting than he would have thought before.