THE RESONANCE ATLAS
Mathew Solomon
Biography
Mathew Solomon is an American composer and trombonist living in Istanbul, Türkiye. He studied music and physics at Case Western Reserve University in association with the Cleveland Institute of Music, and is pursuing a master's degree in composition at Istanbul Technical University's Dr Erol Üçer Center for Advanced Studies in Music (MIAM), where his teachers include Reuben de Lautour and Kamran İnce.
Before his postgraduate studies, Solomon worked in media composition and electroacoustic sound design for film, games and theatre. His chamber works include Balıkçı (2024), scored for flute, bassoon, violin, viola, piano and percussion; Wind and Wood for kaval or Turkish clarinet, cello and electronics; and Kirpi Sokağı (Hedgehog Street), which exists in chamber-sextet and nine-player versions. His research investigates creative processes in composition and the role of emotion-driven methods.
Why this music interests us
Solomon's chamber writing offers a contemporary perspective shaped by his musical life in Istanbul. Balıkçı (2024) and Kirpi Sokağı (Hedgehog Street) bring bassoon into contrasting mixed ensembles; the latter also exists in a compact six-player version. These works suggest an appealing way to explore individual musical voices within a programme concerned with Anatolia, without reducing them to a single regional style.
Selected works & listening
Balıkçı (2024; mixed chamber ensemble); Kirpi Sokağı (Hedgehog Street; chamber sextet and larger version); Wind and Wood (kaval or Turkish clarinet, cello, electronics); Time's Echo
Further information