Matt Incontro is a woodwind musician, educator, and composer from Buffalo, NY. Through his music he honors and builds upon jazz’s rich tradition, taking influence from Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane and Kenny Garrett.
Growing up he studied with prominent local saxophonists Ken Kuriscak, Russ Carere, and Craig Incontro, and soon he began taking trips to Rochester to study with Doug Stone. In 2016, he moved to Rochester to study Jazz Performance at the Eastman School of Music, learning from his studio teacher Charles Pillow as well as Clay Jenkins, Jeff Campbell, Bob Sneider, Dariusz Terefenko, and Gary Versace. Matt received his degree from Eastman in 2020, returning home to live in Buffalo at the onset of the pandemic. Among the other accomplished jazz artists Matt has studied and performed with are Tony Kadleck, Joe Magnarelli, Loren Stillman, Bryan Lynch, Scott Robinson, Tanya Darby, Kirsten Edkins, Sherman Irby.
Matt has recently returned from touring with the Glenn Miller Orchestra across American, Canada, Costa Rica, and Japan. Matt participated in the 2019 Mid Atlantic Collegiate Jazz Orchestra. That same year he also performed with the Temptations and Four Tops in Rochester, NY. In January 2020, Matt competed in the inaugural Jack Rudin Jazz Championship with the Eastman Jazz Ensemble where Wynton Marsalis awarded him best soprano saxophone soloist. He participated in the 2021 JAS Academy in Aspen, Colorado led by renowned bassist Christian McBride, as well as faculty from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. He is currently studying at SUNY Fredonia to pursue his passion for music education.