Hochstein alum Chris Matheos is a seasoned freelance bassist, author, and composer with more than 30 years of experience. His distinguished career has been shaped by the transformative impact of The Hochstein School.
Chris started at Hochstein in 1986 during his junior year of high school. While at Hochstein he took private lessons, Music Therapy, Music Appreciation, and Rock Performance Workshop with Gary Chudyk.
These lessons and classes provided him with opportunities to hone his ability to play and perform as part of a team of drummers and learn how to play with other musicians as well. After attending Hochstein, Chris attended Berklee College of Music to pursue a degree in Bass Performance.
Chris says, “I never came out of a school classroom and wanted to go back. But at Hochstein, I couldn’t wait to go back to the next class.”
Chris has recorded and toured with well-known acts in about every style of music, including Johnny Burgen, Nappy Brown, Taildragger, Spanky & Our Gang, Jimmy “Fast Fingers” Dawkins, Sugar Ray Norcia, The Coasters, Bobby Radcliff, and more. He has published 20 instructional books internationally with Mel Bay Publications, including his best-selling book, Percussive Slap Bass. Alongside these career paths, Chris has composed multiple jazz bass instrumental pieces that have been included on 16 CDs.
Chris attributes his longevity and success to Hochstein, and often shares his wisdom and guidance for those who wish to follow in his footsteps. When asked for advice for current Hochstein students, Chris emphasized the importance of being open minded.
He says, “Be versatile and open to all types of music. You never know what your next call will be as a freelance artist.”
Alongside this advice, Chris encourages young students who are interested in performance careers to take music business courses with their degree work. Overall, Chris hopes students have fun with their music making.
“It’s easy to take a career too seriously – you have to enjoy yourself and have fun.”
Thanks to support from the community, Hochstein is able to maintain a talented and caring faculty who make high quality music learning accessible and who inspire students – like Chris once was – in their music studies. With your help, our faculty can continue to encourage and uplift the next generation of Hochstein students and families.
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Help us finish our fiscal year successfully on June 30, 2023 and continue to teach, nurture, and encourage students in our community.