MATTHEW WHITAKER -Pianist / Organist / Composer / Arranger
Born in 2001, Matthew Whitaker’s love for playing music began at age 3, after his grandfather gave him a small Yamaha keyboard. He taught himself to play the Hammond B3 organ at 9 years old and at 13 became the youngest artist to be endorsed by Hammond USA, in its 84-year history. At 15 years old Matthew became a Yamaha Artist, becoming the youngest musician to join this stellar group of jazz pianists.
He's toured both in the US and abroad, performing on prestigious stages around the country including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Apollo Theater and The Kennedy Center for The Performing Arts and at international venues in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, the UK, Indonesia, Japan and Morocco, to name a few. Matthew recently opened for Gregory Porter’s “All Rise” tour in Germany.
Matthew's television appearances include FOX TV's Showtime at the Apollo, the Today Show, the Harry Connick Jr. Show and on the nationally syndicated Ellen DeGeneres Show. He has appeared with Jon Batiste’s Stay Human band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and was recently the subject of a CBS 60 Minutes feature segment.
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