Bio

Matthew O'Donnell is the inventor of the Cymbow™, an instrument maker, sound artist and founder of the EM x Bronze Ensmeble. He works in the aerospace industry, where his research centers on quantum sensing, optics, and advanced communications technologies. O'Donnell’s musical practice began at sixteen, when he purchased his first drum kit and played in a series of garage bands. His exposure to experimental music and sound art through late-night college radio transformed his approach to percussion, prompting a shift from conventional playing toward utilizing vibration and resonance. As an instrument maker, O'Donnell has developed new electroacoustic approaches to percussion, culminating in the Powered Cymbal™ — an evolving series of instruments that use both direct mechanical and non-contact electromagnetic actuation to excite cymbals, gongs, and metal sheets precisely at their resonant frequencies. These electromagnetically prepared instruments explore the boundary between acoustic and electronic sound worlds, transforming metallic surfaces into dynamic resonators that blur the distinction between instrument and environment. Engaged with Los Angeles’s experimental music scene since the early 2000s, O'Donnell continues to perform and exhibit his work, investigating the intersection of vibration, materiality, and technological embodiment in sound.

Listen to more Em × Bronze Ensemble on SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/emensemblebronze

Contact

For performance, collaboration, or commissioning inquiries, please email Contact Me.