GUITAR
Matthew Lourtie
Guitar, Voice, Piano, Composition & Arranging, Electronic music
Matthew Lourtie is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, electronic musician, and sound designer from Hermosa Beach, CA. His extensive and diverse background in performance and sound art includes classical music, playing in rock bands, musical theater (as actor, director, and musician), choral music, church music (traditional and contemporary), interactive computer music, and several Folk/World music genres. He received a piano performance scholarship and earned a degree in music composition from California State University, Long Beach where he studied composition with Dr. Martin Herman and Dr. Alan Shockley. He has been Assistant Director of the CSULB Laptop Ensemble since Fall 2013. With the ensemble, Matthew was an artist in residence at La MaMa Umbria during the 2013 Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. He received performances of his work in Seoul, Korea in 2013, and he participated in a tour to Hamburg and Berlin in January 2017. Other notable performances of his works include a performance by the Electro-Acoustic Consort at the University of Southern California, and a world premiere by The California E.A.R. Unit. He also sang for a music video by Golden Globe winner, Rachel Bloom.
Matthew has instructed children, youths, and adults for over 15 years. His eclectic experience, from performing at Carnegie Hall to the Whiskey a Go Go, have brought him a unique perspective that gives him the ability to adapt lessons to the unique interests of his students.
Todd McLeod
Guitar, Piano, Voice
Todd McLeod is composer, songwriter, session guitarist, vocalist and producer based in the Los Angeles area. He has composed and produced music for a number of companies, including Hyundai automobiles, Phantom 4 Music, MOD Entertainment, Level 5 records, and Surface and Dream Music. Todd has performed professionally in major Las Vegas theatre productions, and has shared the stage with and opened for many musicians and artists, including The Black Crowes, KISS, Mishka, Melissa Ethridge, Matthew Sweet, Filter, Sugar Ray, Phil Jones (Tom Petty), Fritz Lewak (Jackson Browne, Melissa Ethridge), Jimi Paxson (Stevie Nicks, Ben Harper, Alanis Morissette), Francis Buckley, and many more.
Matthew Greif
Guitar
Matthew Greif is one of a handful of guitarists who plays classical music, jazz, and rock with equal authenticity. He has been a member of the Grammy-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet since 2006, with whom he has toured worldwide and recorded five albums, including “Road to the Sun”, written and produced by jazz legend, Pat Metheny. In addition to his work with LAGQ, and as soloist, Matt performs in an array of concert settings. Recent highlights include projects with the L.A. Philharmonic, and world premieres of pieces by Frank Zappa, Jeffery Holmes and Nico Muhly.
Matthew's diversity is represented by his recordings. His critically-acclaimed debut recording, Permanent Transition, featured the world premieres of world/classical solo compositions as well as duo improvisations with Andrew York and Dusan Bogdanovic. Circle, is a modern jazz recording, featuring mostly original compositions. Featured on the album are the extraordinary talents Ric Fierabracci (Chick Corea) on bass, and drummers Walter Rodriguez and Cougar Estrada (Los Lobos). His latest album, In Time, is a nylon-string crossover recording. Another recent release is an original rock/roots song, Water in the Desert, recorded with Ric Fierabracci and legendary drummer Gary Novak. Matthew also recorded a duet with Scott Tennant on the Delos recording Wild Mountain Thyme.
Raised in a family of musicians, Matthew's early musical education took place on many instruments, in many musical styles. He studied jazz and classical music at the University of Southern California, where his teachers included William Kanengiser, James Smith, Joe Diorio, and Frank Potenza.