Matt Albert was born and raised in Winchester, Virginia. He holds degrees from Oberlin College and Conservatory (B.Mus. violin and B.A. English), the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (A.D. chamber music), and Northwestern University School of Music (M.M. violin). As a soloist he performed the Berg Violin Concerto with Bruce Hangen and the Oberlin Orchestra and the Weill Violin Concerto with Barbara Schubert and the University of Chicago New Music Ensemble. His principal teachers include Kenneth Sarch, Gregory Fulkerson, Kurt Sassmannshaus, and Almita Vamos. For five years he taught students aged 5 to 50 at the Lake Forest Symphony Music School, and he has performed throughout the Chicago area with the Chicago Sinfonietta and CUBE new music ensemble. Matt appeared as the onstage Gypsy Violinist in Light Opera Works’ (Evanston, Illinois) production of Countess Maritza and as the Fiddler in their production of Fiddler on the Roof. Each fall, he strives to divide his time equally between his two passions: eighth blackbird and fantasy football.