Matheus Wendt

Matheus Wendt is a guitarist, composer, and music educator from São José do Hortêncio, in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. He is currently based in Porto Alegre, where he develops his artistic and educational work.

His connection with music began early: he started playing acoustic guitar at the age of seven and electric guitar at eleven. By fifteen, he was already performing professionally, playing with his hometown’s big band and local groups.

Matheus holds a technical degree in Musical Instrument Performance with an emphasis on guitar from Faculdades EST/ESEP (2018), where he studied with Professor James Liberato between 2015 and 2018, deepening his engagement with Brazilian instrumental music and jazz. In 2019, he moved to Porto Alegre to pursue a degree in Popular Music at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), graduating in 2024.

As his final undergraduate project, he developed and released his debut album of original compositions, Long Story Short (2024). The album features a quartet with Matheus on guitar, Felipe Schütz on double bass, João Bauken on drums, and Pedro Saul on piano, highlighting a contemporary approach to jazz and instrumental music.

Since its release, the quartet has established a strong presence in Porto Alegre’s music scene and across Rio Grande do Sul, performing at major cultural events such as Noite dos Museus (2024), Sarau do Solar (2025), and the IX Mostra de Artes Cênicas e Música do Teatro Glênio Peres. The group has also appeared at some of the city’s most important venues, including Espaço 373, Grezz, Café Fon Fon, Odeon, Milonga, Sala Olga Reverbel (São Pedro Theatre), and Sala Álvaro Moreyra.

In 2024, Matheus received the Açorianos Music Award for Best Instrumental Music Producer and was also nominated for Best Composer, Best Instrumentalist, Best Performer (with his quartet), and Best Album (Long Story Short). In the same year, he was nominated for the Prêmio Profissionais da Música in the categories of Best Jazz Group, Best Album, and Best Digital Single, being a finalist in the latter.

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