MATT BELL
Matt has been a Viper player since 1997 and has been exploring ways to use electric violin in rock, pop, hip hop, and R&B ever since. He has played several thousand shows around the world as an electric violinist and singer. He has two electric violin-based rock albums out: One Way To Do It (2019) and Window Into Wild (2021). He’s the lead content creator and social media manager for Electric Violin Shop in Durham, North Carolina. He’s working on his masters degree in electric violin at University of Illinois.
GREG BYERS
Greg Byers, M.M., uses his talents as a performer, composer, educator, and producer to share the joy of music with a diverse range of audiences. His relationship with music began at 2 1/2, when he first studied cello in the Suzuki method. In 2008 Greg became the first person in the history of University of Miami to graduate Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Instrumental Performance/Studio Music & Jazz on cello and bass. Since then, he has performed on BBC Two (Later… with Jools Holland) and Univision (Latin GRAMMYs); he has also been a featured artist/clinician at New Directions Cello Festival, Creative Strings Workshop, and Mark Wood’s Rock Orchestra Camp. The winner of the International Journalists Award at the 2020 Seifert International Jazz Violin Competition, Greg was named a Global Music Initiative Artist-in-Residence at MacPhail Center for Music in 2021 & 2022. He is also the recipient of numerous grants, including the 2017 Artist Initiative Grant, the 2020 Next Step Fund and 2022 Creative Support for Individuals. As a performer, Greg astonishes audiences with his technical prowess and improvisation freedom. Hefty recording experience coupled with perfect pitch allows Greg to work fluidly with any composer or producer. As a composer, he strives for emotive melodies and harmonies that challenge the stereotypes of Western popular music. As a producer, Greg endeavors to tell the stories embedded in every piece of music with clarity and precision. Greg has trained his music engineering skills while embracing the vibrant sonic palette only available in the mixing process. As an educator, Greg is passionate about helping students avoid the pitfalls of traditional music instruction, with the student truncated from any sort of creativity or expression. Rather, Greg works to bring out the creative potential residing in every student by integrating improvisation, theory, and ear training into his pedagogy.
