Or Matias

Or Matias ​is an award-winning composer, lyricist, pianist, conductor, and music director. Since his studies at Juilliard, Or has been featuring cross-genre fusions of various styles, including: classical, jazz, rock, hip-hop, and pop. Or consistently attempts to break the barriers between his musical passions.

Or recently served as music director and conductor for ​Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 o​ n Broadway, starring Josh Groban. This season, he is the Music Director and Supervisor for ​Moby Dick,​ which will premiere at A.R.T (Cambridge) in the winter of 2019. Most recently, Or was Music Supervisor for ​OCTET ​(Signature Theatre)​ -​ an a cappella chamber musical. (NYT Critic’s Pick). Additional recent collaborations include: The Trans Siberian Orchestra, Ingrid Michaelson, violin virtuoso Amadeus Leopold, songstress Rachael Yamagata, and tap dancer Andrew Nemr, alongside countless others. Or’s touring as a classical and jazz pianist has taken him to New Zealand, Australia (Melbourne Festival), Germany, Kosovo, and all over the US, where he performed to sold-out crowds and wide acclaim. Or produced a single for Josh Groban titled ‘Dust and Ashes’, released in the summer of 2016.

Or played the role of Sergei Rachmaninoff in Lincoln Center’s production of ​Preludes, ​for which he was nominated for the Lucille Lortel award for Outstanding Supporting Actor​. ​His performance was described as “marvelous” by the New York Times and “ravishing” by Variety. He also music directed and conducted the world premiere production of Michael John LaChiusa’s ​First Daughter Suite ​at the Public Theater. Or has served as music director for the NY branch of Playing for Change – an organization which raises money through concerts to build music facilities for underprivileged kids worldwide.

As composer, Or is the 2019 Composer-in-Residence at SPACE on Ryder Farm (Working Farm.) He is currently writing a musical adaptation of ​The Wave-​ the 1967 experiment which turned an entire high school into a proto-fascist movement in just five days. The piece has received development through Ars Nova, The Mercer Colony at Goodspeed, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Ucross Artist Residency, and Indiana University. His musical ​Wall Between Us​, about a relationship between two Israeli and Palestinian men, was performed across the United States to wide acclaim. He is currently writing scores for tap-ballet ​Rising to the Tap ​featuring tap dancer Andrew Nemr, and a song-cycle titled ​The Things That Shape Us, ​reflecting on inherited geo-political trauma.

Growing up, Or worked closely with violin legend Itzhak Perlman at The Perlman Program in Shelter Island. Other festivals include Musica Mundi in Belgium, The Banff Festival in Canada, Gijon International Piano Festival in Spain and the Music Academy of the West in California. While at Juilliard, Or studied piano with Prof. Julian Martin. Previously he studied with Dr. Sharon Mann and Ms. Hadassah Gonen. He also holds an MFA from Tisch, where he received a Dean’s Fellowship, and full scholarship for his studies. He is endorsed by Yamaha.

Or believes that all music is universal, and his biggest passion is collaboration.