Matt Savage
Matt Savage | |
|---|---|
 Savage in 2021 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Matthew James Savage |
| Born | May 12, 1992 Sudbury, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, teacher |
| Instrument(s) | Piano, keyboard |
| Website | www |
Matthew James "Matt" Savage (born May 12, 1992) is an American autistic savant musician.
Early life
[edit]Born in Sudbury, Massachusetts,[1] he is the son of Diane and Lawrence "Larry" Savage.[2] Savage was a precocious infant who walked early and learned to read by the age of 18 months.[3] He was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder, a form of autism, at age three.[4] He did not like any noises or music during his early childhood.[5]
At age six, Savage taught himself to read piano music.[6] He studied classical piano for less than a year before discovering jazz, which became his main focus.
He and his younger sibling were both home schooled.[2] He began studying at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, in the fall of 1999. He continued his classical studies as well.
Among Savage's talents are hyperlexia[1] and perfect pitch.[7] Coupled with his extremely high intelligence, these abilities have allowed him to achieve other distinctions as well, such as winning a statewide geography bee.[2]
Career
[edit]He has no formal instruction in musical composition.[7] Savage has released twelve albums as a solo performer, as leader of the Matt Savage Trio and as leader of various sized ensembles. By the age of 14, he had also performed with Chaka Khan and other popular singers.[8]
In 2006, at age 14, he was featured on a CNN report about the human brain which said he was a savant.[8]
Education
[edit] |
In December 2012 Savage received a Bachelor of Music (B.Mus.) in Performance (Piano) from Berklee College of Music and in May 2015 he received his Master of Music (M.Mus.) in Jazz Performance (Piano) from the Manhattan School of Music.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Pine, Dan. "Autistic jazz prodigy already playing with greats", The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California, September 16, 2005.
- ^ a b c Morrow, Marsha. https://web.archive.org/web/20060514114802/http://www.mledger.com/2004/archives/1_news_040804.shtml "N.H. geography champ"] Monadnock Ledger, 8 April 2004. (cached webpage)
- ^ Savants, Discovery Channel documentary, 2003.
- ^ Jones, Chad. "13-year-old Matt Savage has autism and a genius for jazz", InsideBayArea.com, September 21, 2005.
- ^ Silberman, Steve. "The Key to Genius", Wired, December 2003, page 229.
- ^ Massimo, Rick. "N.H. pianist, 13, considers autism one of his strengths", Providence Journal, October 23, 2005.
- ^ a b "Pianist Matt Savage", All Things Considered, April 24, 2002.
- ^ a b Genius: Quest for Extreme Brain Power, CNN program hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, September 17, 2006.
External links
[edit]- Official website — contains a biography, press coverage, tour information, and store
- Profile of Matt Savage and other savants at Wisconsin Medical Society — includes videos of the Matt Savage Trio and an excerpt from the documentary Expedition ins Gehirn (Beautiful Minds: A Voyage Into the Brain)
- Podcast featuring "Our Town" by Matt Savage
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
