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Matt Aiken is a drum set player, composer and teacher living in New York City.

A native of Portland, Oregon, Aiken graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of Oregon. He went on to study at the Eastman School of Music receiving a Masters in Jazz and Contemporary Media. During this time he studied with Ralph Alessi, Mike Cain, Fred Sturm and John Beck and performed with Joe Henderson, Bob Mintzer and Kenny Werner.

Aiken has toured and recorded internationally as a freelance drum set player and has performed with such artists as Peter Epstein, J. A. Granelli, Haale, Adam Levy, Ben Monder and Steve Swell. He has played in many New York City venues including Birdland, CBGB's Gallery, The Living Room, Tonic and Town Hall as well as the JVC and Williamsburg Jazz Festivals. Matt has performed and composed music for experimental theater projects at LaMaMa ETC and P.S. 122 and has toured to Albania and Macedonia with the Bond Street Theatre Company (NYC) and Theatre Svete (Bulgaria).

As a composer and bandleader, Matt has performed his music at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, Central Park Band Shell, Cornelia St. Cafe, Joyce SOHO, The Knitting Factory, Makor, Merce Cunningham Studio, Tribeca Performing Arts Center and The Fringe Festival in Toronto, Canada. He has received four Meet The Composer Grants for his commissioned works for the Tiffany Mills Company and Amy Kail Dance.

Aiken is a member of the summer jazz faculty at the American Festival for the Arts in Houston, Texas and Eastern Washington University in Spokane, Washington. He has given master classes at universities around the country and has been the artist in residence at the New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida. In New York City, Matt teaches drum set, percussion and ensembles in private schools.