Education
- D.M.A., The University of Texas at Austin, 2014
- M.M., Indiana University, 2012
- B.M., Murray State University, 2010
Matt Hightower is associate professor of music in tuba and euphonium at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
He was previously assistant professor of tuba and euphonium at the Florida State University College of Music and principal tuba with the Tallahassee Symphony. Prior to his appointment at Florida State, he held similar positions at the University of Kentucky and Texas A&M University–Kingsville.
An active chamber musician, Hightower is a member of the Emerald Brass Quintet and has previously performed with the Corpus Christi, Kingsville, and University of Kentucky brass quintets as well as the Lexington Philharmonic Brass Quintet, Mirari Brass Quintet, Backburner Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble, and Concert:Nova.
His large ensemble performance credits include appearances with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, Lexington Philharmonic, Sarasota Symphony Orchestra, Victoria Symphony Orchestra, WCIT World Orchestra (Yerevan, Armenia), and David Baker’s 20th Century Bebop Band, among others.
Firmly rooted in entrepreneurship, Hightower believes in cultivating twenty-first-century musicians with diverse, adaptable skill sets. His career spans composing, arranging, recording, and performing. His debut solo album, Re(in)spiration (2019), was a finalist for the 2021 International Tuba-Euphonium Association (ITEA) Roger Bobo Award for Excellence in Recording; the ITEA Journal praised his “total control of the horn” and “musical sincerity.” His second album, Rapid Run, won the 2025 Roger Bobo Award for Excellence in Recording (Chamber) and features Hightower performing every tuba and euphonium part on his original compositions and arrangements.
Hightower is a two-time recipient (2021, 2025) of the ITEA Winston Morris Award for Tuba Ensemble Composition and received the 2023 ITEA Harvey Phillips Award for Excellence in Solo Tuba Composition.
A dedicated educator, Hightower’s students have earned national and international accolades and represent the full spectrum of the music profession, serving in premier military ensembles, leading public school music programs, performing in orchestras, and teaching in higher education.