Matt Ray

MATT RAY is a Brooklyn-based pianist, singer, songwriter, composer, arranger, and music director. His arrangements have been called “wizardly” (Time Out NY) and “ingenious” (NY Times), and his piano playing referred to as “classic, well-oiled swing” (NY Times) and “to cry for” (Ebony). For his work on Taylor Mac’s show A 24-Decade History of Popular Music he and Mac shared the 2017 Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired By American History. Notable live performances include playing at Carnegie Hall with Kat Edmonson, playing the Hollywood Bowl with reggae legend Burning Spear, and touring the Caribbean and Central America with his piano trio as a US Department of State Jazz Ambassador. His show Matt Ray Plays Hoagy Carmichael featuring Kat Edmonson premiered at Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series in 2018. Other work includes music directing The Billie Holiday Project at the Apollo Theater in Harlem (2012), Lincoln Center with Joey Arias (2015), Edinburgh Fringe with Lady Rizo (2012), music directing Taylor Mac’s Obie award winning play The Lily’s Revenge at the HERE Arts Center in New York (2009), and co-writing songs for and performing in Bridget Everett’s one-hour Comedy Central special Gynecological Wonder (2015) as well as Everett’s hit show Rock Bottom (2014). Matt has played piano on and/or done musical arrangements for a large number of TV shows and films including Nurse Jackie (2014), Bored to Death (2011), Blue Night (2018), and the Oscar nominated Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018). Matt has released two jazz albums as a leader: We Got It! (2001) and Lost In New York (2006); and one album of original pop/folk material called Songs For the Anonymous (2013).