Christian Matjias (b.1963, Los Angeles, CA) - Piano and Harpsichord......and Edwardian Post-Modernist

Dance Musician: Pianist for Concert Performance and Studio Class (Ballet, Modern, and Spanish Dance), Composer, Dance Researcher and Published Scholar

Collaborative Pianist: Vocal, Choral, Instrumental Repertoire, Theatre, Opera

Recording Artist: Original Compositions and Ballet Repertoire

Christian attended the University of Southern California, where he studied Harpsichord, Early Music Performance, and Conducting. Since coming to the University of Michigan in 1998 as Professor of Dance and Music, he has been actively involved in a wide range of projects and interdisciplinary partnerships. The most comprehensive and ongoing project (in partnership with Tina Curran), and begun under the auspices of The George Balanchine Trust, is The George Balanchine Critical Editions, a project for which Christian is Editor and Lead Researcher. The Balanchine Critical Editions are practical choreographic documents and scores, archiving selected works by George Balanchine. The dances featured in the first component of the series are Concerto Barocco, Serenade, and Apollo.

Christian was company musician for Ballet Pacifica from 1990-92. From 1991-1998, Christian was on the faculty of the Interlochen Arts Academy, where he was a collaborative musician for vocal and instrumental programs, accompanying for numerous recitals, competitions, and recordings. He was also pianist for the Academy Choir, Musical Theatre programs, and instructor of music theory.

Other projects during his tenure at the University of Michigan include the reconstruction of a performance score for Philip Glass' North Star (Dunvagen Music, 1977) (with Gerhard Schultz); two compact discs of original compositions, Standing Alone (1999) and Suites for Dance, Works for Cello and Piano (2001); a disc of classical ballet variations Etoile Variations (2006); a number of commissioned compositions for dance; and active collaborations with researchers and faculty across the university. He has been invited to present papers at conferences in the United States, England, Ireland, and Taiwan, and is a standing member of the Society of Dance History Scholars (SDHS), The International Council of Kinetography Labanotation/Laban (ICKL), The National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), and BMI.

His compositions have been used by a number of choreographers and produced in North America and Europe. He composed Existence Without Form for choreographer Uri Sands and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which premiered on their 2006-07 season. (reviews can be found in the Downloads link at this site). In the fall of 2007, he collaborated with Lizzie Leopold and Leopold Dance Group on Visiting Hours and is now composing a new work for their summer 2008 season. A number of choreographers have worked with Christian's music, working with various compositions drawn from the CD's Standing Alone and Suites for Dance. Other choreographic commissions include Tell Me Where I Can Go?, Silent Echo, (2005), Nahe des Geliebten (2004), Dangerous Kitchen and Vexed at Every Turn (2003), Statues in Motion (2002), Catch, Hold, Save (2001).

In collaboration with noted stage and film director, Robert Benedetti, Christian was musical director and pianist for the University of Michigan Theatre Dept's. production of Marc Blitzstein's The Cradle Will Rock. He will be teaming with Beny once again for a production of The Cradle Will Rock at the University of Nevada Las Vegas' Nevada Conservatory Theatre in spring of 2009.

Early in 2008, Christian will be releasing two new CD's, Music for Modern Dance (Behind Barres) and Na razie, bez Ciebie (Omelette Pan Productions). He will appear once again with Minneapolis based dance company TUDance, and his score for Gail Gilbert's What Was will be performed at San Francisco's renowned LINES Ballet School.