New York-based Matthew Harrison wowed the crowd on Monday night in our Ringling Room, performing an impressive program of two piano sonatas, one Beethoven and the other the rarely-performed Rachmaninoff’s Sonata no. 1 in d minor, op. 28.

A native of Sarasota, Florida, pianist, lecturer, and teacher Matthew Harrison holds a Master of Music degree and a Bachelor of Music degree from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, where he studied from 2002 until 2008. He has been teaching Piano Literature in the Precollege Division of the Manhattan School of Music, a class he created, since 2005, Concerto Literature since 2007, and Advanced Piano Literature beginning in the fall of 2010.He is a frequent and favored performer at the Sarasota Bay Club.