Matthew Cochran
Guitarist/Composer
About
“The pure emotive quality of Cochran’s music pulls you into its embrace and empties your heart with every note”
No Depression
American guitarist, composer, and producer Matthew Cochran is establishing a bold new repertoire for the guitar in the 21st century. Cochran’s music combines elements of romanticism, minimalism, and popular music.
Latest News
The Classical Guitar Dispatch Podcast
I've returned to podcasting with a new narrative project called the Classical Guitar Dispatch, which explores the world of the guitar through stories, interviews, histories, and more. Six episodes are currently available, ranging in subject matter from a travelogue to see luthier Michael Ritchie with my duo partner Matthew McAllister, to my introduction to the Classical Guitar by way of Christopher Parkening and some resilient banana boxes, an overview of the guitar teaching industrial complex, and a 2-part history of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet.
Solo Guitar Record:
Colossal Wreck
I go to my beloved Cathedral Barn in Traverse City in February 2026 to record my first full-length album of original works for solo guitar. The project is called “Colossal Wreck,” and it features most of the solo guitar pieces I’ve written from 2020 to 2025, including the world premiere recording of my 18-minute sonata, “Colossal Wreck,” inspired by "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Sacred Black Records:
Solo Projects
“Critical Mass” by Tom Childs, who happens to occupy an office just two doors down from mine at Interlochen Center for the Arts. We enlisted the help of our Interlochen colleagues and recorded at the brand-new Traverse City Philharmonic Center. Svanur Vilbergsson releases his collection of solo guitar works titled “Icelandic Guitar Music, Vol. 1 in December. “Testament,” Matthew McAllister’s first solo project in several years, is scheduled to go to print in early 2027. The LP features works by Lovelady, Towner, and yours truly, who wrote the title track.
New Scores/Works In Progress
Commissioned by my friend Stephen Mattingly, Associate Professor of Guitar at Florida State University, “Three Inward Glances” honors the memory of legendary guitar pedagogue Bruce Holzman. Stephen Mattingly premiered the piece in August 2025 at the Iserlohn International Guitar Symposium in Germany. The video premiere will be available on the Gallery of Guitar YouTube Channel, hosted by Matthew McAllister, on Sunday, October 5, at 4 pm ET / 9 pm UK. This project is supported in part by D’Addario Strings and the patrons of Gallery of Guitar. Click the link above to download the score from Sacred Black Publications.
I am honored to collaborate with the exceptional Chimera Guitar Quartet on a commission for a new four-minute piece for four guitars. Titled “Go,” the work was finished in August 2025. Chimera will premiere it in early 2026, with performance and publication details to be announced soon!
This composition was commissioned for the 2025 Mid-America Guitar Ensemble Festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I am pleased to note that ensembles from Kentucky, Michigan, Florida, Scotland, and others have since performed the piece. Click the link above to download the score from Sacred Black Publications.
The work was commissioned by Scottish guitarist Stewart Kelly, who premiered the piece for the Edinburgh Society of Musicians in 2024, and recently performed the piece for the legendary Edinburgh Fringe festival in 2025. Click the link above to download the score from Sacred Black Publications.
This is a solo guitar arrangement of a piece I wrote a few years ago for guitar and electronics. The solo guitar version is dedicated to my friend Harry Taylor. Click the link above to download the score (both tablature and standard notation versions) from Sacred Black Publications.
Dedicated to Matthew McAllister, Pale Blue Dot is an homage to the astronomer, writer, and science advocate Carl Sagan. This 18-minute suite in five movements is one of Cochran & McAllister's most requested works. Click the link above to download the score from Sacred Black Publications.