Bio

Matthew Walsh (he/him) is an American lighting designer, pianist, arranger, and orchestrator whose evocative work emerges from a dramatist’s intellect and a conductor’s instinct.

Born and raised in Minnesota, Matthew discovered the electric connection between light and performance at age 13. By 16, he was the resident lighting designer at Northern Starz Theater Company, crafting bold designs in a small-town theater.

His work lives at the intersection of music and mood — guided by phrasing, timing, and silence as much as visual form. Whether orchestrating a score or building a show, Matthew thinks in breath, composing with light the way a conductor shapes sound. Known for his high-fashion theatricality, he brings a signature frequency to everything he touches: one unafraid of contrast, precision, or feeling too much.

A self-taught pianist raised in the world of CCM and worship bands, Matthew draws from influences as eclectic as Prince, Wagner, Elton John, Smitty, and Sondheim — a blend that shapes his genre-bridging voice and musical sense of storytelling.

He is currently completing his BFA in Lighting Design.

When not behind a console, Matthew can be found restoring and re-orchestrating cult musicals like Carrie, diving into entertainment history, curating his extensive art and stagecraft library, keeping tabs on high fashion, or channeling Prince’s fearless energy into his work — as a true Minnesotan would.