Matthew Quayle
Visiting Assistant Professor in Music
- Office
- Mahaney Arts Center 304
- Tel
- (802) 443-3608
- mquayle@middlebury.edu
- Office Hours
- T 3:45-5:00 PM; F 9:45-11:30 AM; or by appointment
Matthew Quayle is Visiting Assistant Professor in Music at Middlebury College, where he teaches courses in composition and songwriting.
His eclectic compositional output ranges from concert orchestral works to cabaret songs. He has received commissions and performances from Akira Saxophone Quartet, Alarm Will Sound, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Allentown Symphony Orchestra, Emanuele Arciuli, Arditti String Quartet, Avalon String Quartet, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, The Brass Project, Claire Chase, eighth blackbird, International Contemporary Ensemble, Gail Levinsky, Locrian Chamber Players, Silverwind Duo, Ashley Sandor Sidon, United States Air Force Strings, and Westchester Symphonic Winds. His three string quartets, recorded by the Avalon Quartet, were released on the Naxos label in 2018. His album of original solo piano music, Songs Without Words, was released on Albany Records in 2015. He also wrote the music and lyrics for Amazed By You, a 2013 Indie album of original cabaret songs with soprano Marian Murphy. Quayle has performed widely as a solo pianist and chamber musician.
Recent performances include a recital of his complete piano sonatas at the NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Center. He frequently collaborates with cellist Jameson Platte; their album Entr’acte, featuring works by Chabrier, Cipullo, Debussy, Quayle, Rachmaninoff, and Webern, was released on Albany Records in 2019. They are often joined in performance by violinist Michael Emery, as The Omega Trio.
Professor Quayle is currently Composition Program Coordinator for the Atlantic Music Festival, held annually in the summer at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Prior to moving to Vermont, he taught for over a decade at NYU Abu Dhabi, where he was Associate Arts Professor of Music and served as Program Head of Music. He also spent thirteen summers at New England Music Camp in Sidney, Maine as Faculty Artist and Theory Coordinator. He holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory (B.M.), University of Cincinnati (M.M.), and New York University’s Graduate School of Arts and Science (PhD).
Courses Taught
MUSC 0209
Current
Composition I
Course Description
Music I
Music I focuses on the materials and grammar of music through compositional exercises. As part of these explorations, we will examine the elements of harmony (scales, triads and seventh chords), notation, rhythm, polyrhythm, binary and ternary forms, two-voice counterpoint, variation, transposition, as well as skills in conducting, analysis, ear-training, and sight-singing. Students will write short pieces for a variety of instruments and ensembles, notate their pieces, and rehearse and perform them, thereby learning about music through discovery and observation. The assignments are designed for students with or without compositional experience. (Ability to play an instrument or sing; MUSC 0160, or passing score on the MUSC 0160 placement exam) 3 hrs. lect./1 hr. lab.
Terms Taught
Requirements
MUSC 0214
Current
Songwriting/Production
Course Description
Songwriting and Production Workshop
In this course we will offer student singer/songwriters a workshop setting for the creation and production of original songs. The course will revolve around student projects produced in the college’s electronic music studio and campus recording studio. Student projects will explore concepts of musical form and harmony, recording and production techniques, use of Digital Audio Workstations, and the incorporation of electronic sounds in a production. Lectures and demonstrations will provide theoretical and practical background to support those projects, and a collaborative environment will also allow students to learn from each other. (MUSC 0209 or permission).
Terms Taught
Requirements
MUSC 0500
Upcoming
Independent Study
Course Description
Independent Study
Admission by approval. Please consult published departmental guidelines and paragraph below.
Terms Taught
MUSC 0704
Upcoming
Senior Work
Course Description
Senior Work
Senior work is not required of all music majors and joint majors. However, students interested in and eligible for departmental honors (see guideline above, in "Departmental Honors" section) may propose one or two-semester Senior Work projects. Projects may be in history, composition, theory, ethnomusicology, performance, or electronic music, and should culminate in a written presentation, a public performance, or a combination of the two. MUSC0704 does not count as a course toward fulfillment of the music major.
Project and budget proposals for Independent Study and Senior Work should be submitted by the previous April 1 for fall and winter term projects, and the previous October 15 for spring term projects. Budget proposals will not be considered after those dates. Project proposals will be considered after the deadline but are more likely not to be approved due to previous commitments of faculty advisors or other scheduling reasons.
Terms Taught