About Me

Matthew J. Etherington has lived and worked in the United States since moving from England in 2002. He holds a Bachelor's degree with Honors in Jazz Studies from the University of Leeds, a Master's degree in Composition for Film and Television, and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of Bristol.

Matthew teaches Performing Arts and Project at Duke School in Durham, and has spent more than twenty years in performing arts education, including school leadership roles in Massachusetts and North Carolina.

Matthew has performed on piano, keyboards, saxophone, and percussion across Europe, South Africa, and the United States, and in 2004 co-directed a school performance at an award ceremony honoring Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Danny Glover. His teaching spans choral direction, musical theater, and jazz ensembles, and in 2005 he earned Level 3 Orff certification from the University of Memphis, studying under Prof. Jos Wuytack.

As a composer and playwright, Matthew creates original musical theater and plays for young performers. His work includes There's No Place Like Home, an all-new musical retelling of the classic Oz story with contemporary songs written for children's voices, and Strangest Things, an affectionate 1980s sci-fi comedy parody for middle-school casts. He shares these productions — complete with scripts, scores, and studio-quality backing tracks — through Music4Education.com.

Matthew lives in Durham, North Carolina, with his wife Cleo and sons George and Louie.