Biography
Matthew Anderson was born in 1988 and grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. At age 11, he followed in his brother’s footsteps and joined the band program as a percussionist. Taking private lessons from John Damberg, Professor of Percussion at University of Anchorage Alaska, Anderson began his pursuit towards learning percussion at a young age. Throughout high school he played in jazz band, symphonic band and a personal rock group. He continued to study music until graduating in 2006 from Bartlett High School.
Matthew Anderson came to Wayland Baptist University to study music education immediately following high school graduation. During his first year of study with Kevin Riley, Professor of Percussion at Wayland Baptist University, he came to realize the possibilities of mallet percussion and decided to start concentrating his efforts in learning them. As a music student, he was involved in Marching Band, Concert Band, Pep Band and Jazz Band. Anderson also completed his master’s degree in percussion performance from the University of Northern Colorado in 2012, studying with Gray Barrier and Jim White. Anderson has appeared as a performer with the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra (Anchorage, Alaska), the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra (Greeley, Colorado), the Plainview Symphony (Plainview, Texas), and the Anchorage Youth Symphony (Anchorage, Alaska) with several performance awards from academic institutions, including first place winner in the Southerd Music Competition at the University of Northern Colorado and first place winner in the Music Achievement Awards from Wayland Baptist University. Matthew Anderson is the principal timpanist for the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra and is teaching his sixth year of classroom music and middle school choir at Northern Lights ABC K-8.
Matthew Anderson came to Wayland Baptist University to study music education immediately following high school graduation. During his first year of study with Kevin Riley, Professor of Percussion at Wayland Baptist University, he came to realize the possibilities of mallet percussion and decided to start concentrating his efforts in learning them. As a music student, he was involved in Marching Band, Concert Band, Pep Band and Jazz Band. Anderson also completed his master’s degree in percussion performance from the University of Northern Colorado in 2012, studying with Gray Barrier and Jim White. Anderson has appeared as a performer with the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra (Anchorage, Alaska), the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra (Greeley, Colorado), the Plainview Symphony (Plainview, Texas), and the Anchorage Youth Symphony (Anchorage, Alaska) with several performance awards from academic institutions, including first place winner in the Southerd Music Competition at the University of Northern Colorado and first place winner in the Music Achievement Awards from Wayland Baptist University. Matthew Anderson is the principal timpanist for the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra and is teaching his sixth year of classroom music and middle school choir at Northern Lights ABC K-8.