Savage, Matt

Category: Ill or disabled

Matthew "Matt" Savage (born 1992) is an American autistic savant musician, born in Sudbury, Massachusetts, USA. He was described as “a precocious infant who walked early and learned to read by age 18 months”. But when he was three, he was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder – PDD - autism.

Matt did not like any noises or music during his early childhood, but when he was 6, he taught himself to read piano music. He studied classical piano for less than a year and then discovered jazz, which became his main focus. Jazz is an ideal way in which to both express yourself musically being an 'inspirational' form of music making, but it is also a wonderful way of expressing 'heard music' – celestial music – in a direct way.

Matt began studying at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts in the Autumn of 1999. It is worth noting that both Matt and his younger sister, Rebecca, were both home schooled. Among Matt's talents are hyperlexia and perfect pitch. He has also won a geography bee, which is of course a test of perfect recall. 

Despite his young age and his autism, and even without formal instruction in musical composition, Matt has developed into an accomplished musician and composer. He has released several albums, both as a solo performer and as part of the Matt Savage Trio. By the age of 14, he had also performed with Chaka Khan and other popular singers.

Matt has received many awards, including being signed in 2003 to Bösendorfer pianos. He is the only child to be so recognized in the company's 175-year history. Matt has also toured the world, performing for heads of state, and appearing on numerous television and radio programs. In 2006, at age 14, he was featured on a CNN report about the human brain, in which he was defined as a 'prodigious savant'.

References

Matt has his own you tube channel

Matthew Savage channel

Observations

For iPad/iPhone users: tap letter twice to get list of items.

• Matt Savage and his trio