Matthew M. Honas

A native of Wichita, Kansas, Matthew M. Honas has been lauded for his emotional sensitivity, dramatic lyricism, and seamless integration of new techniques within traditional and innovative structures. For his research, Honas draws on his cultural heritage and everyday experiences to create original, thrilling works which challenge the performer while showcasing their virtuosity. Honas received his master’s and doctorate in composition with a minor of musicology at the University of Wisconsin Madison where he studied with the 2023 American Academy of the Arts recipient, Laura Schwendinger. He received his Bachelor of Arts, Summa cum Laude in music composition and piano performance from Kansas State University where he studied composition from Craig Weston and piano performance with the world-renowned, Sławomir Dobrzański. He has also had private composition lessons with John Harbison, Melinda Wagner, Paul Chihara, and Sebastian Currier and had masterclasses with Augusta Read Thomas, Caroline Shaw, Eighth Blackbird, and Duo Cortona among others. Recently, Honas won the 2023 Kansas Composer of the Year Award, the 2021 WiSH award for the premiere of a work that highlights the music of a different culture, honorary mention in the UW-Madison Concerto Competition for his dissertation, Symphony No. 1: Wolga Sinfonie, and the 2020 Mullen Prize for Sacred Music.