Matthew James "Matt" Savage (born May 12, 1992) is an American autistic savant musician.
Early life.
Born in Sudbury, Massachusetts, he is the son of Diane and Lawrence "Larry" Savage.
Savage was a precocious infant who walked early and learned to read by the age of 18 months. He was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder, a form of autism, at age three. He did not like any noises or music during his early childhood.
At age six, Savage taught himself to read piano music. He studied classical piano for less than a year before discovering jazz, which became his main focus.
He and his younger sibling were both home schooled. He began studying at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, in the fall of 1999. He continued his classical studies as well.
Among Savage's talents are hyperlexia and perfect pitch. Coupled with his extremely high intelligence, these abilities have allowed him to achieve other distinctions as well, such as winning a statewide geography bee.
Career.
Despite his young age and his autism, and even without formal instruction in musical composition, Savage is an accomplished musician and composer. He has released twelve albums as a solo performer, as leader of the Matt Savage Trio and as leader of various sized ensembles. By the age of 14, he had also performed with Chaka Khan and other popular singers. His compositions are very approachable and often humorous.
Awards and appearances.
Savage has received many awards, including being signed in 2003 to Bösendorfer pianos. He was the only child to be so recognized in the company's 188-year history.
Savage has toured the world, performing for heads of state and others, and appearing on numerous television and radio programs such as "Late Show with David Letterman", "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "The Today Show," and "All Things Considered". 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, as opposed to the other types of savants. Savage has also appeared in several documentaries about savants.
Collaborations and studies.
In 2007, he played with Scottish folk songwriter/singer Al Stewart, on piano.
In 2009, Savage enrolled at Berklee for continued studies. The following year, in November, he prepared to release his ninth CD.
In December 2012, Savage received his Bachelor of Music (B.Mus.) in Performance (Piano) from Berklee College of Music.
In 2014, he composed and recorded the score for a full-length documentary film, "Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story".
In May 2015, he received his Master of Music (M.Mus.) in Jazz Performance (Piano) from the Manhattan School of Music.
Currently, Savage balances his professional music career with teaching.
References.
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