Matt Richards (c. 1997) is a saxophonist, clarinetist, flautist, and composer currently based in Los Angeles, CA. While political science, philosophy, and sports have fueled his interest in the world, Matt is most at home with either an instrument at hand, coffee and music paper at the ready, or a student to teach and discuss music with. Matt’s a believer in the mutualistic relationship of various interests, and their ability to manifest into a unique person and musician.  

The first piece of music Matt learned was the University of Southern California Fight Song: fourteen years later he was a proud graduate of USC with a major in jazz performance and a minor in the music industry. Among the freelance, sideman, and recording work in Los Angeles, Matt’s personal projects include being a founding member of the rock/hip hop band, Cab Ellis, having released their debut album “Nighttime OCD” in April of 2020. He frequently plays the Los Angeles scene with singer-songwriter David Austin, playing saxophone on David’s debut album “Southwood Waltz”. With Cab Ellis, David Austin, and many others, Matt has been fortunate to play iconic venues and festivals such as The Troubadour, Monterey Jazz Festival, The Roxy, Rolling Loud Music Festival, Kyoto Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz Festival, Rockwood Music Hall, and NPR Tiny Desk Contest On the Road.

Other than performing and recording, Matt's biggest pride and joy is his private lesson studio. Being as fortunate as he was to learn from some of the best as a young musician (Dann Zinn and Mary Fettig), he strives to be an approachable mentor that provides experience-based knowledge in an open, no stakes learning environment- regardless of skill level.  Student-teacher relationships last a lifetime; a mutualistic relationship at its finest.