There is no rest for bassist Matthew Wengerd.  Having recently completed his graduate studies in Jazz Performance at the University of South Florida, Wengerd finds his newly acquired free time quickly filling with activities in performance, education and, most recently, composition and arranging.  As an educator, he maintains a growing studio of jazz and classical bass students and has conducted masterclasses for the Florida Orchestra Association as well as public schools in Polk and Orange counties.  He is also working on a large-scale educational concert presentation designed to demystify the experience of listening to jazz.

As a performer and composer, Wengerd has worked with various groups throughout Central Florida, including the Mars’ Trio, Free Time Jazz, the Imperial Symphony Orchestra, and with Tampa-based pianist Daniel Joiner.  Under his own name, he plays with saxophonist Richard Van Voorst as the Wengerd|Van Voorst Duo as well as with his trio, the matthew|wengerd trio.  As grounds for sonic experimentation, the trio maintains a roster of varied instrumentalists called together in various groupings around Wengerd’s double bass to suit the requirements of the music and whims of  the leader.