Violinist Matt Glaser, former chair of the String Department at the Berklee College of Music, has received the Artist Teacher Award from the prestigious American String Teachers Association. Especially notable is the fact that Glaser is the first non-classical instructor to be so named.
And he is not only a non-classical performer and teacher, he is a full-fledged fiddler! His oeuvre includes work in jazz, along with many examples of folk music that help define American and Western fiddle traditions. As a young man, he was intimately involved in the experimental bluegrass scene in the northeastern US which produced such stellar performers as Tony Trischka, Andy Statman, Russ Barenberg and David Grisman.
In typical Glaser humility, he deferred the praise towards his fellow fiddlers.
“Although I certainly do not deserve this, I am very happy to accept it metonymically on behalf of this incredible community of American folk and jazz string players who are my heroes and friends.”
After 28 years as the Berklee String Chair, Matt stepped down in 2009 to develop and nurture Berklee’s American Roots Music Program, which he founded and serves as Artistic Director.
Congratulations to Glaser and Berklee for this award, which is richly deserved.
