Meet the Musicians: Matt Decker

By Leilani Polk

Tucked away in the back left corner of the orchestra, adding color, texture and sometimes the rhythmic pulse to any given concert since 2016 is Seattle Symphony Percussion & Assistant Principal Timpani Matthew Decker.  

Matt grew up in Seymour, Indiana (the famous “Small Town” of John Mellencamp’s 1987 song). His older brother — who briefly played clarinet but envied the percussionists — impacted Matt’s instrument choice. “He told me that when I get to decide on an instrument, I need to pick percussion, because all his friends who play percussion get to run around in the back and have fun,” he remembers. “And that’s what I get to do for a living now!”  

He didn’t start out with orchestra aspirations, though he was in his middle school band, and credits his middle and high school band director Kevin Cottrill as being a significant early influence. “He encouraged us to do lots of things outside of music, he made learning music super enjoyable, and I definitely wouldn’t be here without him.”  

He got his first drum set in eighth grade, started playing relentlessly and formed a band with his friends. “I was convinced we were gonna go on Warped Tour and make it big!” he laughs. He shifted to orchestra impulsively halfway through high school and ended up studying with Indianapolis Symphony Principal Percussion Paul Berns. His undergraduate and master’s degrees found him studying with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Vadim Karpinos and New York Philharmonic’s Chris Lamb, respectively, and he spent a few summers under the wing of Seattle Symphony Principal Percussionist Michael Werner. Each offered unique perspectives on music and percussion. “I really appreciate the amount that all three of them think about color and how to be of best service to the music that’s happening, to fill it with meaning and a certain specialness.”  

A season-long fellowship with the New World Symphony was followed by his first orchestra job: Assistant Principal Percussionist of the North Carolina Symphony in Raleigh. After two seasons, he landed his position with the Seattle Symphony and its acoustically pristine venue, Benaroya Hall. “We’re able to be really sensitive on that stage and explore the whole spectrum of what percussion can do dynamically.”   

Outside of the orchestra, Matt keeps the beat in a ’60s style Jamaican ska band with Symphony Associate Principal Bass Joseph Kaufman. Called The Seattleites (in tribute to early ska band the Skatalites), they’ve played venues like High Dive and Nectar Lounge. He also enjoys teaching. A student of North Carolina’s Eastern Music Festival in 2008, he’s been on the faculty since 2016. “I love working with percussionists and trying to get them ready to win auditions. It’s such a great way to help me think critically about what I am doing or how I play what I play. I was so lucky to have great teachers, it excites me to pass on what I’ve been taught and what I’ve learned over the years.”