Matthew Whitaker
Matthew Whitaker is a Grammy-winning, Emmy and NAACP Image Award nominated pianist, organist, composer, arranger, and bandleader whose work spans jazz performance, media scoring, and music education. In 2026, Whitaker won a Grammy for arranging “Super Mario Praise Break” with The 8-Bit Big Band. He is a three-time recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award and the 2026 ASCAP Foundation Johnny Mandel Centennial Award for Early Career Composers. He has released four studio albums, including On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute, which was nominated for Outstanding Jazz Album at the 2025 NAACP Image Awards.