Matt, huge congratulations on your retirement. You have left such a strong legacy at Brown, and I know you will be greatly missed. Wishing you all the best in your next chapter. Thank you for being such a great supporter of my development as a musician, as a student and as a person. You created opportunities that empowered us to grow and perform. The concert series you hosted each semester, the guest performers you brought in (Anat Cohen, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Chris Potter to name a few) and the trips to Dublin and Ponta Delgada are some of my favorite memories from my time at Brown. Perhaps one of my fondest memories is all of your help in working with me to bring the Jazz Jams to life. It was quite the battle with some other departments to make it happen (to the point where it almost didn’t). You were always solution oriented and advocated for the additional resources to help make the sessions a reality. Last, I want to say thank you for believing in me from the beginning. When we met before I was a student at Brown, you helped to show me that I belonged there.

– Matthew Block