Matt Abajian

Matt Abajian is a composer, performer, sound engineer and music educator based in Austin, TX. He received his Bachelor’s of Music in Composition from UT Austin’s Butler School of Music, and returned in 2025 to pursue a Master’s of Music as BSoM’s Kent Kennan Fellow in Composition. Matt’s music exists across various styles and idioms, spanning experimental contemporary music, improvisation, electronics, and popular song.

A lifelong educator, Matt began teaching music professionally in afterschool programs at 15 years old. Over his 9 combined years of educational experience, he has taught instrumental, theory, and composition lessons. He has also worked as a curriculum consultant with management at Clavier-Werke School of Music and School of Rock, developing theory instruction techniques and summer camp programs.

At UT, Matt served as the BSoM Composition Department Research Assistant, organizing student composer concerts, providing administrative support to faculty, and assisting the director of the UT New Music Ensemble, a premiere collegiate contemporary music group. In fall 2026, he will begin an appointment as the BSoM Experimental and Electronic Music Studios Teaching Assistant. In this role, he will continue his educational endeavors, teaching electronic music techniques and concepts to undergraduate and graduate music students.

As an emerging composer, Matt’s work has been performed by musicians from around the world including Vertixe Sonora Ensemble (Galicia), Théo Ould (Paris), The Living Earth Show (San Francisco), The UT New Music Ensemble (Austin), and more. He has performed much of his material himself with his experimental pop group Hover. His recorded work is available across 5 albums and 4 singles, each of which he produced or co-produced.