Matt Wong

"Wong is no ordinary performer." - R. Kurt Osenlund, Pennington Post Matt Wong, from West Windsor, New Jersey is far from ordinary. Only 17 years old, the teenager is on his way to becoming one of the finest in today's guitar scene. With two albums released, Wong has performed throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, was nominated for Top 18 & Under Instrumentalist in the 2013 Jersey Acoustic Music Awards, and has recently received a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music starting in Fall 2015. Wong picked up the guitar at age six and has been playing ever since. When asked to describe his music, Wong says “I always tell people that I’m primarily a Jazz musician, but since Jazz is so broad, I find myself incorporating many other styles of music into my playing, and I’m always trying to learn to play other styles of music.” Wong’s first major influence was Australian guitar wizard Tommy Emmanuel. “I first heard Tommy on YouTube when I was eleven years old” says Wong. “He was playing a tune called ‘Classical Gas’ and I was immediately fascinated with the way he was playing all the parts of a band on just one guitar.” With that inspiration, Wong has spent the past 4 years recording and performing as a solo acoustic guitar player. It was not until recently however, that Wong began playing Jazz and electric guitar in public. “I have always been shy when it came to soloing and jamming with other musicians” explains Wong. Two things helped Wong overcome this challenge - Wong began studying with music educator and author Bruce Arnold, and attended the Berklee College of Music Five-Week Performance Program (Summer 2014). As he explains, “Bruce has helped me develop significantly as a guitarist, musician, and improviser, and Five-Week allowed me to apply what I studying while learning some more.” Matt has also studied with guitarists such as Mike Stern, Jack Wilkins, Mark White, Guy Van Duser, and Curt Shumate. As a performer, Wong has played shows throughout the New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania areas. Wong says, “I have been performing since I started playing guitar in recitals and talent shows, but I played my first professional gig when I was thirteen years old.” He has been invited to perform at notable events including Communiversity in Princeton, NJ, and Art All Night in Trenton, NJ, and has played at venues such as the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City, the Legendary Dobbs in Philadelphia, The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ, and the Record Collector Store in Bordentown, NJ. His most memorable performance to date is when he sat in with GRAMMY Award winning guitarist Earl Klugh in August 2013. According to Wong, “That’s been the coolest gig of my life so far!” He goes on to explain, “I was in London and I got an email from Earl asking me to join him for his CD release show in New York. We played ‘Blue Moon’ together. It was such an inspiring moment.” Wong has also shared the stage with singer/songwriters Avi Wisnia and Sarah Donner. As an aspiring producer and composer, Wong has released two albums of music that he composed and arranged. “I love writing my own music. I wrote my first song when I was eight years old. It wasn’t very good though” says Wong jokingly. He released his debut album "Fly me to the Moon" in 2011, and has recently followed it up with his second recording. Matt's brand new album "Reflections" was released on June 2, 2014 and features ten tracks, eight of which are originals songs. Fan favorites off the album include "West Coast Bound", "Shadow", and "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams. http://mattwongguitar.com Download "Reflections" on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/0lq3x5