Daniel Matej (1963)
is a composer, performer, teacher and promoter of the contemporary music. He studied music theory and composition at the Academy of Music and Drama in Bratislava, Conservatoire national supérieur in Paris, and at the Koninklijk conservatorium in The Hague with Louis Andriessen, Juraj Beneš, Betsy Jolas, Ivan Parík and others. In 1995 he was invited to Berlin as composer-in-residence of the DAAD programme.
In the period of 1996-2014 he taught at the Academy of Music and Drama in Bratislava, in 2011-2018 at the Faculty of Music Education of the Comenius University in Bratislava and since 2013 also at the Janáček Academy of Music and Drama in Brno, Czech Republic. He has been also occasionally teaching at various summer courses and master classes home and abroad as well as at various conservatories and music academies and universities in Europe, North America and Australia.
His works were performed at home and abroad by Arcana Ensemble, Michael Blake, don@u.com, David Dramm, fama Q, Figura ensemble, Formaţia AdHoc, Enikö Ginzery, Hilliard Ensemble, Ives Ensemble, Zygmunt Krauze, Anne La Berge, Lotz Trio, Melos Ethos Ensemble, Musica aeterna, Opera aperta, Milan Osadský, Milan Paľa, Jon Rose, Slagwerkgroep Den Haag, Ivan Šiller, John Tilbury, Daan Vandewalle, VAPORI del CUORE, VENI ACADEMY, VENI ensemble and others.
He created several sound installations in collaboration with Slovak and international visual artists. His music can be found on several CDs on Slovak and international labels.
Daniel Matej is a founder and co-founder of several ensembles active in the field of contemporary composed and improvised music - such as VENI ensemble, VAPORI del CUORE, don@u.com, OVER4tea, Mi-65, docEND, studEND.doc, VENI ACADEMY and others.
As a performer and improviser he has collaborated with Robert Aitken, Noël Akchoté, Louis Andriessen, Gavin Bryars, Tony Buck, John Cage, Hugh Davies, David Dramm, Christian Fennesz, Beth Griffith, Franz Hautzinger, Hilary Jeffery, Anne La Berge, Jean-Marc Montera, Norbert Möslang, Günter Müller, Chris Newman, John Oswald, Otomo Yoshihide, Steve Reich, Jon Rose, Elliott Sharp, Martin Siewert, Daan Vandewalle, Marián Varga and others.
In 1990 he has been a founding member of the renewed ISCM Czechoslovak Section, in 1994 a founding member of the ISCM Slovak Section and in 2003-2009 also its president.
He has been active also as an organizer of the contemporary music scene (in 1990 he founded the first international music festival in Slovakia, EVENINGS OF NEW MUSIC, in 2003 a concert series (NEW) MUSIC AT HOME and has participated at the organisation and promotion of other regular or occasional contemporary music events).