Join us this Wednesday, April 12 at Soundspace at Captain Quackenbush or Thursday, April 13 at The Rosette for a charming concert dedicated to Home as our PLAY series finale. Matthew Lyons and Stephen Krishnan come together as the MoonTower Duo with James Tabata to bring us new and original works of music that represent life, our home, and our community in its present form. Learn more and find tickets here

 

This week we had the chance to connect with a very special friend of ACG and a member of the MoonTower Duo, Matthew Lyons. 

Matthew’s journey with ACG started when he was 11 years old, performing at a student recital. He shared, 

“I remember messing up the end of whatever study I had poorly prepared and compensating for it by ending the piece with an AC/DC lick (and the look of bemusement on Matt Hinsley’s face afterwards). In the 20 years since then, I’ve grown to see ACG as an artistic home and supportive community. I’ve attended countless performances, arranged and composed works for numerous projects, and grown as a musician thanks to the educational and creative opportunities provided by ACG”

Not only is Matthew a beautiful guitar player, he also is a very talented composer! He finds inspiration in bringing joy to his listeners through his music the same way music brings joy to him. 

“I’m obsessed with colorful harmonies, infectious grooves, direct melodies, and the ways in which these elements can interact to stage an emotional journey for the listener. I view performing – especially performing my own music – as attempting to create a space in which an audience can feel connected through their shared experience of (hopefully) enjoying the music.”

Matthew first collaborated with his duo partner, Stephen Krishnan, for the first time in 2019 when Stephen performed a guitar concerto Matthew dedicated to him. Three years later, they reconnected to play duos they had written! Matthew shared,

“I love working with Stephen because he’s an incredibly flexible musician who’s down to experiment to discover new things about the music we play.”

The MoonTower Duo’s upcoming performance as part of our PLAY series finale promises variety. They will stretch the boundaries of what a classical guitar can be, playing a range of styles from delicate jazz waltzes to belligerent Tom Waits-inspired musical thrashings. Their music will showcase different sounds from the soft twinkling of guitar harmonics to resonant depth of the upright bass played by James Tabata!  

“We love stretching the notion of what a classical guitar concert can be, as the music we play is largely written by us or by musicians who aren’t part of the canon.”