Photo Credit: Famous Motion (Bradley Perich)
Matt Wisotsky
music that inspires, challenges expectations, and brings together audiences through collective exchange
multi-instrumentalist, composer, creative director, & arts leader based in Madison, WI
Featured Projects
International Day of Peace Benefit Concert -
Vilasi Project at Muso (September 21, 2026)
Luminaries - Vilasi Project at the Madison Symphony Centennial in Overture Center for the Arts (June 14, 2026)
Concerto for Orchestra and Jazz Combo - Berkshire Symphony in Chapin Hall (April 21, 2023)
About
"As a listener, I journeyed through
a world torn by conflict, striving for redemption, and ultimately finding balance and harmony. What an expression of hope! Wisotsky's work is a much-needed beacon of light in today's world."
-Peter Daniels, visual artist & poet
Matt Wisotsky is a composer and performer whose music inspires, challenges, and brings together audiences through collective exchange. Based in Madison, WI, he is co-founder, composer, and woodwind specialist for The Vilasi Project, an improvisatory chamber ensemble, and he performs with the Madison Gamer Symphony Orchestra and Verona Area Wind Symphony. His compositions have been performed in venues including Overture Center for the Arts, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, and Chapin Hall at Williams College. His Concerto for Orchestra and Jazz Combo was awarded Highest Honors by the Williams College music department following the 2023 premiere by the Berkshire Symphony.While off the stage, he is editor of the Greater Madison Jazz Newsletter and a Music Programming Committee member at Art Lit Lab, where he organized the Neuroarts Festival & Sound Garden as an inaugural LAB^4 curator, bringing in over 4700 attendees to Olbrich Botanical Gardens over 4 days of interdisciplinary events.
Photo Credit: Famous Motion (Bradley Perich)
Matt completed undergraduate studies at Williams College in music and math, where he received the Robert G. Barrow Memorial Prize for Music Composition and served as president of Jazz@Williams. He is currently a MA candidate at the UW-Madison Bolz Center for Arts Administration, after which he plans to continue supporting community arts and holistic wellbeing through innovative and nontraditional programming.
Instruments Available
* denotes an instrument I don't own but have easy access to
Primary
Bassoon
Saxophones (sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, bari*)
Flute
Bb clarinet & bass clarinet*
Secondary
Contrabassoon*
Piano/keyboards
EWI
Double chamber ocarina
Native American flute
Compositions
For more information on the pieces below or to commission a new work, please send me a message through the Contact form!
A Prayer for Peace for harp and woodwinds (40', 2026)
Concerto for Orchestra and Jazz Combo (17’, 2023)
Song Without Words for bassoon and piano (7’, 2021)
Valse Capriccioso for bassoon and piano (5’, 2019)
Luminaries for harp and woodwinds (45', 2026)
Marble Sea for SATB choir and piano (7’, 2023)
Convergence & Divergence for jazz combo (14’, 2021)
Elegy for woodwind ensemble (11', 2025)
Chronostasis for mixed chamber ensemble (9’, 2023)
Nocturne for solo piano (7’, 2020)
deus ex machina for violin, clarinet, and piano (15’, 2024)
Bloom for solo bassoon (5’, 2022)
Bounce for string quartet (9’, 2019)
Projects
Photo Credit: Famous Motion (Bradley Perich)
"Matt kept the project on schedule, communicated throughout the process, and was present at every stage to help ensure everything went smoothly ... I would highly recommend Matt to any organization looking for a thoughtful, reliable, and collaborative partner to bring a creative project to life."
-Mike Gibson, Olbrich Botanical Gardens
Select the buttons to learn more about each project:
Photo Credit: Olivia Slovacek
The Vilasi Project is the duo of Bella Clinton and Matt Wisotsky, who first met in Vienna, Austria and years later reconnected in Madison, quickly discovering a shared drive to keep creating and exploring music together. Rooted in classical training, their performances expand into improvisation, intuitive listening, and real-time collaboration, making each set a unique musical conversation.
Use the links to the left to explore more about the Vilasi Project and their upcoming shows.
Greater Madison Jazz Newsletter
I have been the editor of the Greater Madison Jazz Newsletter since December 2025. The Newsletter, supported by Arts + Literature Laboratory, is distributed monthly and reaches over 1200 subscribers, promoting free and ticketed jazz events happening in and around Madison.
Photo edited by Matt Wisotsky
NeuroArts Festival & Sound Garden
Photo Credit: James Everest
The NeuroArts Festival & Sound Garden, hosted in collaboration with Art Lit Lab and Olbrich Botanical Gardens, brought over 4700 attendees to Olbrich's Perennial Garden for 4 days of programming celebrating art, nature, and human connection. Community workshops included spatial sound & music, poetry, and weaving.This event was supported by the LAB^4 program through Art Lit Lab.
Audience Testimonials
"I’ve known this garden for a very long time. This is my favorite art installation placed in this space ever, I think."
"I have never experienced the Gardens like this in twenty years. Time slowed down. I was moved to tears."
Listen & Watch
Original Compositions
Luminaries - Vilasi Project at the Madison Symphony Centennial in Overture Center for the Arts (June 14, 2026)
deus ex machina - Matt Wisotsky (clarinet), Sara Stebbins (violin), and Francesca Hellerman (piano) at I/O Fest 2024 (January 12, 2024)
Concerto for Orchestra and Jazz Combo -
Berkshire Symphony in Chapin Hall (April 21, 2023)
Marble Sea - Williams Concert Choir in Chapin Hall (May 5, 2023)
Instrumental Performance
International Day of Peace Benefit Concert -
Vilasi Project at Muso (September 21, 2026)
"The Swan" from Carnival of the Animals (Saint-Saens) -
Vilasi Project at Muso (March 8, 2026)
live improvisation by Vilasi Project at Muso (March 8, 2026)
The Five Sacred Trees: "II. Tortan" (John Williams) -
Matt Wisotsky (bassoon) and Robin Wang (piano)
in Brooks-Rodgers Recital Hall (May 1, 2023)
Arrangements
Eucalyptus Breeze by Heirloom, arr. by Matt Wisotsky
Music from Pokémon Pokopia (GAME FREAK/KOEI TECMO), arr. by Matt Wisotsky
Contact
Photo Credit: Olivia Slovacek
Send me a message with the contact form below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks for your interest!