Matthew Beckis a Chicago based multi-instrumentalist and educator. He has performed in Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Serbia, and throughout the United States. Specializing in classical saxophone, Beck has played with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared in theater productions with such renown companies as Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Thr Marriott Theatre, Music Theater Works, The Mercury Theater, Porchlight Music Theater, and Theater at the Center. Active in Chicago’s jazz scene, he has performed with bands such as The Heisenberg Uncertainty Players, and the Blueshift Big Band. As a studio musician he can be heard on Kendor Music, TMZ and Cartoon Network.
Beck currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Saxophone at Elmhurst University, Adjunct Professor of Clarinet and Saxophone at Aurora University, and Adjunct Professor of Woodwinds at Morton College. In 2018 he received the Masters of Music degree in Saxophone Performance from Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts where he made his Chicago Symphony Center debut as a winner of the CCPA Concerto Competition. He also holds the first Bachelors Degree in Music Performance from Elmhurst University where he was a five time winner of the Elmhurst Philharmonic Concerto Competition. Matthew has played in masterclasses with Frederick Hemke and Nikita Zimin. His primary teachers include J. Michael Weiss-Holmes, Roger Birkeland, and Mark Colby on saxophone, Jennie Oh Brown on flute, and Gail Crosson on clarinet. Matthew is a member of the Chicago Federation of Musicians and the North American Saxophone Alliance. |