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Matt Ray
[edit]Matt Ray (born August 22, 1972) is an American musician, theatre-maker, and composer based in Brooklyn, NY[1]. Ray is known for the show The Hang[2], which earned him an Obie Award for Music Direction and Composition in 2023[3].
Career
[edit]Ray has worked as a pianist, arranger, composer, and music director in New York's downtown cabaret and theater scene. His collaborators have included Taylor Mac, Justin Vivian Bond, Bridget Everett, and Joey Arias. His work has been presented at venues including Joe's Pub at the Public Theater, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Hollywood Bowl[4][5].
Collaboration with Taylor Mac
[edit]Ray and Taylor Mac began collaborating on A 24-Decade History of Popular Music[6], a performance work examining American history through popular music. Ray served as music director and arranger and created arrangements for the production's 246 songs. The work was developed over several years before its 2016 performances at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, including a 24-hour marathon performance[7].
Ray and Mac subsequently collaborated on The Hang[8], a music-theater work centered on the final hours of Socrates. Ray composed the music and served as music director, while Mac wrote the book and lyrics. The production opened at HERE in New York in January 2022 and was subsequently extended through March 6[2].The Hang received four Drama Desk Award nominations, including a nomination for Outstanding Music for Ray[9].
Ray's subsequent collaboration with Mac, Bark of Millions, is a rock opera exploring queer history through 55 songs. Ray composed the music and served as musical director, with Mac responsible for the lyrics and direction. The production premiered at the Sydney Opera House in October 2023[10].
Recording career
[edit]Ray has released three albums as a recording artist.His jazz albums include We Got It! (2001)[11] and Lost in New York (2006)[12], while Songs for the Anonymous (2013)[13] consists of original pop and folk material.
- ↑ "About – Matt Ray". Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- 1 2 "The Hang - HERE". 2021-10-13. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ Weiss, Ian (2023-02-23). "66th Obies Winners Announced". Obie Awards. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ "Matt Ray - HERE". 2021-10-13. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ Jazz, All About (2007-07-21). "Matt Ray | Jazz Piano – Biography, Albums & More | All About Jazz". All About Jazz Musicians. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ Neher, Erick (2017). "The Brooklyn Marathon: Taylor Mac's "A 24-Decade History of Popular Music". The Hudson Review. 69 (4). The Hudson Review, Inc: 631–642. ISSN 0018-702X. JSTOR 44788587.
- ↑ "A 24-Decade History of Popular Music by Taylor Mac and Matt Ray | Columbia University Libraries". library.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ Edgecomb, Sean F. (September 2022). "The Hang by Taylor Mac and Matt Ray". Theatre Journal. 74 (3): 374–376. doi:10.1353/tj.2022.0074. ISSN 1086-332X.
- ↑ "Six, Kimberly Akimbo Lead 2022 Drama Desk Award Nominations; See the Full List". Playbill. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ Sun, Michael (2023-10-21). "Taylor Mac: Bark of Millions review – a bombastic queer history, told over 55 songs". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ "We Got It". JazzBeat. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ "Lost In New York". JazzBeat. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ Songs for the Anonymous by Matt Ray on Apple Music, 2013-02-21, retrieved 2026-08-31