Piano Lessons with Matthew Hutton ’26

As Matthew Hutton ’26 sits on the piano bench in the Chapel of Mary, he positions his fingers on the Steinway and takes a moment to consider what he will play next—classical, jazz or modern. For him, playing the piano is meditative, even therapeutic. “It’s like painting a picture with sound,” the classically trained pianist says.

Born in Weymouth, Hutton was raised first in Hangzhou, China, before his family returned to Massachusetts, when he was in fourth grade. He recalls “smashing the keys” on his grandmother’s piano as his initial introduction to the instrument. By the time he was four years old, Hutton’s parents had signed him up for lessons. Since then, he has performed at Boston's Symphony Hall and won the grand prize in a Russian music competition at Carnegie Hall, in New York City.

When he first visited Stonehill, Hutton checked out the pianos on campus—in the Chapel, which, he notes, has perfect acoustics, as well as in Donahue, Cushing-Martin and Alumni halls. “Stonehill has great pianos. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to come here,” he says. Another reason was to study healthcare management. “It is a fascinating major. The issues around healthcare are so complex, and I want to help think of solutions.”

With a minor in Mandarin, Hutton has also taken a course in piano and has given lessons to classmates who are eager to learn. He balances his time with workouts in the Sports Complex, a student-employee job in media technology and learning jiu jitsu with the newly formed club. Along with a few Stonehill friends, Hutton plays in a band that often performs at College events.

Hutton spent last semester studying abroad at the University of Roehampton London, where he met Professor Adam Ockelford, a prominent music educator, and musical prodigy Derek Paravicini. "They introduced me to their research, which incorporates piano music into the lives of special needs children,” he says. “It was a very fulfilling experience.”

On his first day back on campus this spring, Hutton returned to the Steinway in the Chapel to play. “Sometimes people walking by will stop in, sit and listen for a while,” Hutton says. “I hope it brightens their day.”