Bio

Matthew L. Garza , a native Texan, is a product of the Fort Bend ISD instrumental music department, where he began his music career under the leadership of the late Mr. Richard Cammack at Sugar Land Middle School. He graduated from the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education. While in Houston, Garza studied applied trumpet with Dr. James Austin and Mr. Jim Vassallo. He has held principal positions in the Moores Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and the Houston Sinfonietta. He has also been a member of the Moores Jazz Orchestra, several chamber music ensembles and the Moores Opera and Ballet Orchestras.   Mr. Garza served as a private brass teacher for many schools in the Houston area, conducted orchestra classes at Austin High School and taught band classes at Dulles Middle/High Schools, Fort Settlement Middle School, and Hodges Bend Middle School in the Fort Bend Independent School District.

In 2003, Mr. Garza relocated to Kenosha, Wisconsin and was appointed the position of Director of Bands for the CYO Emerald Knights Band and Guard.  Under his direction, Mr. Garza’s bands consistently received superior ratings at WSMA Music Festivals and MACBDA Marching Competitions.  To further enhance his students’ learning opportunities, Mr. Garza organized annual band performance trips to Florida, Michigan, Indianapolis, Texas, and Colorado.  In December of 2008, Mr. Garza and the CYO Band traveled to Italy for 10 days to perform for the Pope in the 2009 New Years Day Parade.  While living in the Midwest, he performed with the Kenosha Pops Band, Racine Municipal Concert Band, UW-Parkside Community Orchestra, Waukegan Symphony Orchestra, and the Northshore Concert Band, under the musical leadership of Mallory Thompson.

Now a trumpet player on the West Coast, Matthew enjoys performing in various ensembles in the San Francisco Bay Area! An avid cyclist, Matthew began riding in April 2014 to train for the Bike MS: Waves to Wine Ride. He raised over $3,000 to benefit the National MS Society and rode over 172 miles in 2 days to honor his Aunt Alba.  Since then, he has logged over 5,600 miles riding with Bike the US for MS in 2015 and 2016 and completing all 5 passes of the legendary Death Ride (126 miles, 15,000 feet of elevation) in July of 2016.  In 2017, he will ride across Italy as a solo, self-contained cyclist to visit Aunt Alba.