Matthew Bell is a percussionist known for his versatility and sensitive accompaniment style. He has performed and/or recorded with many luminaries in the Celtic Music Scene including Bonnie Rideout, Jerry O’Sullivan, William Jackson, John Doyle, Cathie Ryan, Liz Carroll, Mick Maloney, Brendan Dolan, Maggie Sansone, Kevin McCrae, Tony Cuffe, Hazel Wrigley, Máiri MacInnes, Christine Hanson, Billy McComiskey, Rosie Shipley, Paddy League, Flynn Cohen, Emerald Rae, Patsy O'Brien, and Eliot Grasso. Locally, he has played at venues including the Kennedy Center, Wolftrap Center for the Performing Arts, the Birchmere, the Strathmore Center for the Performing Arts, the Verizon Center, and the White House. He has appeared on national television broadcasts including Good Morning America and the Kennedy Center Honors.
Matthew started playing in 1988, under the tutilege of Kenneth Krohn, former Principal Percussionist of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Two years later, Matthew became the youngest member of the Rockville High School Pipe Band, studying with Walt Birtles and Jon Quigg. In 1992, Matthew became the Lead Drummer for the City of Washington Pipe Band Grade 3. The next year, he moved up to the City of Washington Grade 2, where he played for the next eleven years. While in the City of Washington Pipe Band, Matthew won Champion Supreme in every individual solo grade within the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association. He was upgraded to the Professional Snare category in 1997. In 1999, the City of Washington Pipe Band won the Grade 2 World Pipe Band Championships as well as the Grade 2 World Pipe Band Drumming Championship in Glasgow, Scotland. The Band and the Drum Corps were also North American Champions in Grade 2 in the same year.
After high school, Matthew continued his percussion education at the DePaul University School of Music in Chicago, Illinois. His principal teachers were Edward Atkatz, Principal Percussionist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Michael Green, Principal Percussionist of the Chicago Lyric Opera. He also studied Drumset with Joel Spencer, Professor of Jazz Studies at Northwestern University. While in Chicago, Matthew learned to play the Bodhrán, studying with well-known Chicago Bodhrán players Jackie Moran and Mike Austin. He also studied African Percussion with Avo Randruut. Matthew graduated from DePaul in April 2002 with a Bachelors of Music Degree in Percussion Performance.
While still in Music School, Matthew started playing bodhrán/percussion with Scottish Fiddle icon Bonnie Rideout. Matthew took over the percussion chair in the Bonnie Rideout Scottish Trio in January 2002. In 2006, the Trio won two WAMMIES (Washington’s equivalent to the GRAMMIES) for Best Duo/Group in the Folk- Traditional category and Best Recording in the Folk- Traditional category.
Upon graduation from DePaul, Matthew won a job as a Snare Drum Instrumentalist with the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps of the United States Army. The Corps represents the United States Army in ceremonies and performances across the nation and abroad, averaging more than 250 performances a year.
Recently, Matthew passed the Snare Drum Adjudicators Exam for the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association.
