Matthew Cline

Matthew (or Matt) Cline is a composer, conductor and trumpeter originally from Shanghai. Born to a Chinese mother and a Canadian father, Matthew grew up in a multicultural household that encouraged the exploration of creative arts and music.

Matthew's primary instrument is the trumpet, but he has also learned the drums and the piano from a young age and has also played the violin for eight years and the double bass for six years.

Matthew is also an avid composer and arranger, having written and orchestrated over a hundred original pieces, many of which have been performed by top-level orchestras and ensembles, including the New Shanghai Orchestra, the Atlanta Freedom Bands, and members of the Orlando Philharmonic. Well-versed in a wide array of musical styles and genres, Matthew often writes for big bands, Latin ensembles, as well as traditional Chinese ensembles.

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In addition to composing for concert, Matthew has written the score and worked as a sound designer for several student films and independent film productions. 

From 2018 to 2023, Matthew was the Assistant Conductor and Student Composer in Residence for the New Shanghai Orchestra, as well as the Co-conductor and lead arranger for the New Shanghai Orchestra Elite Chamber Group.

Matthew founded “Three’s Company” - a Shanghai-based jazz group that performed at high-profile events across the city - in 2020, playing trumpet and bass whilst arranging and managing the band.

In 2021, Matthew wrote the complete original music and lyrics to a full-scale musical, titled “Shanghaied”, featuring over 40 musical numbers. The original cast soundtrack album of "Shanghaied" was recorded and produced by Matthew and released in 2022.

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Matthew currently works as the Vice President and Student Conductor and arranger of the Princeton Playhouse Ensembles, a choir and orchestra that collaborates with Grammy-winning artists like Becca Stevens and Broadway stars like Andrew Barth Feldman. He also arranges and composes regularly for the Princeton University Wind Ensemble, Princeton Creative Large Ensemble (big band), Princeton Small Group A (jazz combo), and the Princeton Nassoons, Princeton's oldest a cappella group, for which he also sings baritone.

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