Mattie Barbier is an LA based musician and sonic researcher focused on experimental intonation, noise, and the physical processes of their instrument. Their playing has been described by the LA Times as being "of intense, brilliant, virtuosic growling that gave the striking impression that Barbier was dismantling the instrument while playing it," by the Wire as “exploring the nooks of instrumental tone far beyond the reach of most mortals,” and by the New Yorker as being a "diabolically inventive trombonist-composer."

Mattie engages in collaborative relationships with a range of musicians including Clara Iannotta, Michelle Lou, Weston Olencki, Catherine Lamb, Kevin Drumm, Sarah Davachi, Jacob Kirkegaard, and Katherine Young. As an interpreter they have given premieres by and collaborated with a broad spectrum of composers including George Lewis, Liza Lim, Lester St. Louis, Wolfgang von Schweinitz, Kaori Suzuki, Raven Chacon, and Scott Walker.

Mattie is a member of RAGE Thormbones, wildUp, echoi, wasteLAnd music, and is an active soloist and improvisor on low brass instruments and bagpipes. They teach at CalArts and Los Angeles City College (LACC).


Mattie has presented and created work with and for the Museum of Jurassic Technology, Getty Villa, Monday Evening Concerts, San Francisco Exploratorium, Indexical, Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella Series, Roulette Intermedium, RedCat, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Factory Seconds Brass Trio, and Issue Project Room as well as in collaboration with holographer Tristan Duke.  They have made festival appearances at Borealis (NO), IMD Darmstadt (DE), Donaueschinger (DE), Maerzmusik (DE), Bludenz Tage zeitgemäßer (AT), Chicago’s Frequency Festival, Dartington International Summer School (UK), Kalv Festival (SE), the Ojai Music Festival, and Musica Nova Helsinki (FI) with the Helsinki Philharmonic with upcoming engagements at Donaueschinger with the SWR. Various recording projects have been released on Sofa, Dinzu Artifcats, Carrier, Populist, Mode, Hat Hut, Innova, Faux Amis, New Focus, Domino, New Amsterdam, and Kairos Records.