Matthew Amper
Songwriting
As a member of LA’s premier salsa band, La Verdad, Matthew Amper is a highly sought out musician working in Los Angeles’ salsa, rock, world music, and jazz scenes. He has performed nationally and internationally with various artists, including Marc Anthony, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Adalberto Santa Rosa, and Cano Estremeda, to name a few. Though Matthew’s musical journey started at the age of seven, when he began performing Latin Jazz with his father, his formal studies began at Valley College before transferring to the California Institute of the Art to earn his Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Piano/Composition. Matthew is a multi-instrumentalist with full knowledge of piano, bass, trap drums, percussion, and timbales.
Matthew originally joined ACTA’s Arts in Corrections staff in 2017. Since then, he has taught Choir Singing, Collective Songwriting, and Songwriting courses at California Correctional Institution, Ironwood State Prison, and Chuckwalla Valley State Prison. More recently, he began offering Songwriting courses to folks as part of our reentry programming with the Los Angeles County Justice and Care Opportunities Department / D.O.O.R.S. (Developing Opportunities and Offering Reentry Solutions) in the Antelope Valley.
Matthew has also offered Collective Songwriting workshops as part of the Boyle Heights Building Healthy Communities and Engaging Cultural Treasures program.
