Matthew James "Matt" Savage (born May 12, 1992) is an American

autistic savant Savant syndrome ( , ) is a phenomenon where someone demonstrates exceptional aptitude in one domain, such as art or mathematics, despite significant social or intellectual impairment. Those with the condition generally have a neurodeve ...

musician.

Early life

Born in

Sudbury, Massachusetts Sudbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,934. The town, located in Greater Boston's MetroWest region, has a colonial history. History Incorporated in 1639, the boundar ...

,Pine, Dan
"Autistic jazz prodigy already playing with greats"
''The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California'', September 16, 2005. he is the son of Diane and Lawrence "Larry" Savage.Morrow, Marsha. https://web.archive.org/web/20060514114802/http://www.mledger.com/2004/archives/1_news_040804.shtml "N.H. geography champ"] '' Monadnock Ledger'', 8 April 2004. (cached webpage) 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 The diagnostic category pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), as opposed to specific developmental disorders (SDD), was a group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of multiple basic functions including socialization and ...

, a form of

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

, 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.Massimo, Rick
"N.H. pianist, 13, considers autism one of his strengths"
''

Providence Journal ''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, the largest newspaper in Rhode Island, US. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspaper had won four ...

'', October 23, 2005. 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 Homeschooling or home schooling (American English), also known as home education or elective home education (EHE) (British English), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted ...

. He began studying at the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, in the fall of 1999. He continued his classical studies as well. Among Savage's talents are

hyperlexia Hyperlexia is a syndrome characterized by a child's precocious ability to read. It was initially identified by Norman E. Silberberg and Margaret C. Silberberg (1967), who defined it as the precocious ability to read words without prior training ...

and

perfect pitch Perfect commonly refers to: * Perfection; completeness, and excellence * Perfect (grammar), a grammatical category in some languages Perfect may also refer to: Film and television * ''Perfect'' (1985 film), a romantic drama * ''Perfect'' (20 ...

."Pianist Matt Savage"
''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

'', April 24, 2002. 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

He has no formal instruction in musical composition. Savage 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 Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...

and other popular singers.''Genius: Quest for Extreme Brain Power'',

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

program hosted by Dr.

Sanjay Gupta Sanjay Gupta (born October 23, 1969) is an American neurosurgeon, medical reporter, and writer. He serves as associate chief of the neurosurgery service at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, associate professor of neurosurgery at ...

, September 17, 2006. In 2006, at age 14, he was featured on a CNN report about the human brain which said he was a

savant Savant syndrome ( , ) is a phenomenon where someone demonstrates exceptional aptitude in one domain, such as art or mathematics, despite significant social or intellectual impairment. Those with the condition generally have a neurodevel ...

Education

In December 2012 Savage received a

Bachelor of Music A Bachelor of Music (BMus; sometimes conferred as Bachelor of Musical Arts) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. The degree may be awarded for performance, music ed ...

(B.Mus.) in Performance (Piano) from Berklee College of Music and in May 2015 he received his

Master of Music The Master of Music (MM or MMus) is, as an academic title, the first graduate degree in music awarded by universities and conservatories. The MM combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually performance in singing or i ...

(M.Mus.) in Jazz Performance (Piano) from the Manhattan School of Music.

References

External links

Official website
— contains a biography, press coverage, tour information, and store
Profile of Matt Savage and other savants at Wisconsin Medical Society
— includes videos of the Matt Savage Trio and an excerpt from the documentary ''Expedition ins Gehirn'' (''Beautiful Minds: A Voyage Into the Brain'')
Podcast
featuring "Our Town" by Matt Savage {{DEFAULTSORT:Savage, Matt 1992 births 21st-century American pianists American child musicians Autistic savants American musicians with disabilities Berklee College of Music alumni Living people Musicians from Massachusetts Autistic musicians American male pianists 21st-century American male musicians People from Sudbury, Massachusetts

Early life

Career

Education

See also

References

External links