Matthew Whitaker

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

It’s understandable to consider jazz pianist Matthew Whitaker—still in his early 20s—a child prodigy. After all, at just ten years old, he served as the opening performer for Stevie Wonder's induction into the Apollo Theater's Hall of Fame. By the age of 13, he became the youngest artist to be endorsed by Hammond—just four years after teaching himself to play the company’s renowned B3 organ. When he was still just 15, Matthew was dubbed a Yamaha Artist, becoming the youngest musician to join the company’s prestigious group of jazz pianists. 

But all these milestones are just early footnotes in the career of an innovative jazz musician whose exceptional talents and obvious enthusiasm for performing have already taken him around the world and onto the screens of millions of people across the United States. And with three studio albums now under Matthew’s belt, his presence in the jazz scene is already well beyond that of a newcomer—he is firmly established.

“(Whitaker’s) music is not redolent of the precocious virtuosity and flamboyance we’ve come to expect from teen wunderkinder,” says George Kanzler of New York City Jazz Record. “His music doesn’t dazzle; it entices and entertains.” 

As cliche as it may sound, it’s certainly safe to say Matthew Whitaker is only just getting started.

Live from Jazz St. Louis

In this live-steamed performance from 2021, Matthew performs a full-band set that includes several tracks from his album Connections, along with a handful of standards and covers.

Born in April 2001 in Hackensack, New Jersey, Matthew Whitaker was three months premature, weighed less than two pounds, and was given a less than 50 percent chance of survival. He was later diagnosed with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), the cause of his lifelong blindness. Unable to see but drawn to music since birth, Matthew played "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" at age three on a toy Yamaha keyboard he had received earlier that day as a birthday present from his grandfather. And with that, his musical career had officially begun. 

At the age of five, Matthew began studying classical piano and drums at The Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School in NYC—the only community music school for the blind and visually impaired in the country. Blessed with perfect pitch, he honed his piano skills predominantly through listening, although he also learned to read music in Braille. His musical education continued at The Harlem School of the Arts, where he expanded his repertoire beyond classical and jazz piano to include the organ, percussion, clarinet, and bass guitar. When he was just nine, Whitaker secured backing from the Jazz Foundation of America. As he moved into his teenage years, he became a student at the Manhattan School of Music's Pre-College Jazz program. Matthew is currently enrolled in the BA Jazz Studies program at Juilliard in New York City.

KNKX Live Studio Session

Matthew and his band perform a three-song set live on KNKX Public Radio in Tacoma, Washington.

Matthew’s playing style has been largely influenced by organists Jimmy Smith and Joey DeFrancesco and pianists such as Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Barry Harris, Erroll Garner, and Thelonious Monk. He often finds ways to incorporate both organ and piano on his albums, even when performing his takes on classic jazz standards. One need only listen to his cover of Chick Corea’s “Spain” on his latest album, Connections, which features an intro played on a Hammond B3 organ before switching over to keys when the rest of the band joins.

Matthew’s inspiring story and exceptional talents have drawn plenty of attention over the years. In 2010, at the age of nine, Matthew was a winning participant in the “Child Stars of Tomorrow” competition—a part of Amateur Night at the Apollo. He was later invited to perform at Stevie Wonder’s induction into the Apollo Theater’s Hall of Fame in 2011. He returned to the Apollo for a third time in 2016 as part of FOX TV’s revival of Showtime at the Apollo, winning the audience over with his rendition of Stevie Wonder’s classic hit, “I Wish.”

Other media appearances from Matthew include the Today Show’s documentary series "Boys Changing the World," The Harry Connick Jr Show, Ellen, and a segment on the legendary CBS news magazine broadcast, 60 Minutes.

Matthew Whitaker on 60 Minutes

A snippet from a 2020 feature story about Matthew that recalls when classically trained concert pianist Dalia Sakas first realized his talents at a young age.

Matthew has toured both in the US and abroad, performing at world-renowned venues such as the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall, and Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC; SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC; The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, and at international venues across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

In 2018, Matthew won the Harlem Stage Emerging Artist Award. He returned in the fall of 2021 to headline a sold-out show celebrating the release of his album, Connections, backed by a lineup that included Marcos Robinson on guitar, Karim Hutton on bass, and Isaiah Johnson on drums. Jon Batiste, Ray Chew, Christian McBride, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Rhoda Scott, Cameron Carpenter, Regina Carter, Jason Moran, and Marc Cary are just a few of the names Matthew has performed with throughout his still-young career.

Harlem Stage continues to host an array of diverse performances from Black Artists from all corners of the world — including right here in New York. Stay up to date on upcoming live and digital performances by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.