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Witness Matlou
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Witness Matlou is a pianist, composer, and bandleader. He has performed nationally and internationally. His music is influenced by South African traditional, folk, jazz, and classical music. He received his bachelor's degree from Berklee College of Music in performance and jazz composition with a minor in philosophy. He also received his master's degree from Berklee in contemporary performance (global jazz concentration), studying with Danilo Pérez, Terri Lyne Carrington, Joe Lovano, John Patitucci, and George Garzone.
In 2018, Matlou was awarded the Harvard South African Fellowship and accepted into the special student program at Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. There, he engaged in scholarly work and research under the guidance of acclaimed linguist John Mugane, with Matlou's research focusing on the interdependence of music in retaining African languages and cultural identity.
Matlou has performed at the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the DC Jazz Festival, the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, and the North Sea Jazz Festival (Rotterdam, Netherlands).
- Performances with Danilo Pérez, Joe Lovano, George Garzone, Antonio Sánchez, John Lockwood, Yoron Israel, Ron Savage, and others
- Harvard South African Fellowship (2018)