Guitarist, composer, and producer Matthew Cochran is establishing a bold new repertoire for
the guitar in the 21st century. Cochran’s music combines elements of romanticism, minimalism,
and popular music. No Depression raves, “The pure emotive quality of Cochran’s music pulls you
into its embrace and empties your heart with every note,” and This is Classical Guitar praises
Cochran’s “wide variety of textures from melodic exchanges, intricate kaleidoscopic grooves, to
spacious mediations.”
 

A growing number of leading concert artists and ensembles perform Cochran’s concert music,

and his works for large ensembles have become modern classics for student and community-
based organizations. In the 2026-2027 season, Cochran’s music will be performed on four

continents, from Iceland to Austria, Oklahoma City to Santiago, Chile. Cochran’s works
include Pale Blue Dot for guitar duo, Landscape with False Memory for guitar and string quartet,
Three Inward Glances, and Two Young Fish for solo guitar (commissioned by Stephen Mattingly).
Other pieces include Hope Begins in the Dark for electric guitar and electronics (commissioned by
Tom Clippinger and Chase Bliss Audio), Winter Was Hard for guitar ensemble (commissioned
by the 2025 Mid-America Guitar Ensemble Festival, and performed at the 2025 Guitar
Foundation of America Convention, the 2025 Classical Guitar Retreat in Scotland, and the 2025
Interlochen Classical Guitar Intensive, among others), Testament, a solo guitar piece
commissioned by Matthew McAllister, and Like a Bird on the Wing, commissioned by Stewart
Kelly. Les Editions d’Oz, Music Notes, and Sacred Black Publications publish Cochran’s
music.
 

Praised for his “commanding stage presence, intimate expression, and inventive interpretation”
(Soundboard) and Strong, nuanced, textured performances with compelling dynamics and a
beautiful sound” (Classical Guitar Magazine), Cochran has performed at festivals, universities,
and series across North America, including the Guitar Foundation of America, Weill Hall, New
York Guitar Seminar, Mostly Music Chicago, Peabody Conservatory, Eastman School of
Music, Oberlin College, University of Louisville, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Mannes
School of Music, Austin Peay University, Stetson University, and Acadia International Guitar
Festival (Canada). Cochran’s U.K. appearances include performances at the Crail Festival,
Classical Guitar Retreat, and Big Guitar Weekend at the Royal Conservatory of Scotland. In
Europe, Cochran has performed at Śląska Jesień Gitarowa (Poland) and at festivals such as
the Internationales Gitarren-Festival Iserlohn, the Halein International Guitar Festival, and the
Nürtingen International Guitar Festival (Germany), as well as at Harpa Concert Hall in
Reykjavik (Iceland).
 

Matthew Cochran frequently performs with Scottish guitar virtuoso Matthew McAllister.
Cochran & McAllister premiered as a duo in 2023 with tours in Scotland and the Midwestern
United States. The pair quickly established themselves as a significant voice in the guitar world
through a combination of unique, accessible programming featuring Cochran’s original works
and arrangements, plus the duo’s warm, easygoing onstage rapport. Cochran & McAllister’s
2025-2026 performance season features expanded engagementsin the United States, the United
Kingdom, and Europe. Cochran & McAllister’s debut album, Pale Blue Dot, is a tribute to
astronomer and writer Carl Sagan; This is Classical Guitar raves, “Great playing throughout the

album with both virtuosic ensemble performances...always sounding musical, natural, and well
settled. The recording quality is also very nice with a warm, glowing sound.”
 

In 2024, Matthew Cochran founded Sacred Black Records, a classical music label and
publishing collective dedicated to connecting audiences with world-class musicians through
sound recordings, live performances, and publications. The label’s first releases include
Cochran & McAllister’s Pale Blue Dot, pianist Kara Huber’s Piano Works of Joan Tower, and the
Perlak Mela Guitar and Percussion Duo’s debut, Spaces. Upcoming projects feature Stephen
Mattingly’s ambitious solo guitar project, For Whom the Bell Tolls, the first installment of the solo
instrumental works of Benjamin Britten, Svanur Vilbergsson’s Guitar Music of Iceland,
and Critical Mass, which highlights the works of Michigan-based composer Thomas Childs.
Cochran’s many recordings, performances, and interviews have been featured on National
Public Radio (NPR), British Broadcasting Company (BBC), Radio Poland, and Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation (CBC); podcasts and web series including Gallery of Guitar, One-Track
Podcast, Up North Lowdown, Classical Guitar Insider, and This is Classical Guitar; syndicated radio
programs such as Latino USA and Classical Guitar Alive; he is a frequent guest on Interlochen
Public Radio’s In Studio A, Kids Commute and Great Lakes Concerts. Cochran has recorded
masterworks by luminaries such as J.S. Bach, Steve Reich, Manuel de Falla, Johann Pachelbel,
Ólafur Arnalds, Max Richter, and Enrique Granados, among many others, and is often sought
out by recording artists for his work as an audio and video producer. Cochran wrote, produced,
and hosted Goes2Eleven, a popular podcast about the world of the guitar, which reached over
10,000 weekly listeners from 2014 to 2016. D’Addario and Augustine Strings, NPR, and the
BBC have featured Cochran’s work as an independent audio and video producer.
Matthew Cochran often works with innovative and original composers, including Steve Reich,
Max Richter, Edie Hill, Apostolos Paraskevas, and Jacob Ter Veldhuis. Jacob Ter Veldhuis
states, “I’m so impressed with Matthew’s performance of my music. The sounds he gets out of
his guitar are gorgeous, the overall interpretation is splendid, his technique is fabulous, plus the
mix is much to my taste. Bravo!!”
 

Cochran is an in-demand lecturer, ensemble coach, and conductor. He has presented at guitar
festivals, performing arts high schools, and colleges throughout the U.S., Europe, and Canada,
including the Eastman School of Music, Louden All-County Guitar Festival, Guitar
Foundation of America, and the Classic Art Festival (Serbia). Dr. Cochran is a Guitar
Instructor at Interlochen Arts Academy. Dr. Cochran’s students have been awarded
scholarships to some of the finest Universities and Conservatories in the U.S., including the
Juilliard School, Peabody Institute, Eastman School of Music, New England Conservatory,
San Francisco Conservatory, University of Southern California, Berklee College of Music,
Manhattan School of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Miami, California
Institute of the Arts, Oberlin College, Bellmont University, University of Texas Austin, Florida
State University, Columbus University, Stetson University, and many more. Dr. Cochran's
students have been featured on National Public Radio's From the Top, won numerous prizes in
major international competitions, and performances from the Interlochen Guitar program have
been featured on American Public Media's Performance Today.

Cochran serves on the Board of Trustees of the Guitar Foundation of America, holds a
Doctorate in Classical Guitar Performance from Florida State University College of Music, and
a Master’s and Bachelor’s in Classical Guitar Performance from the Eastman School of Music.