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Contact: Liz Carroll
Phone: 413/775-1420
E-mail: carroll@gcc.mass.edu

Media contact: Liz Carroll
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Release date: May 22, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Andrew Music Award helps student pursue artistic dream

Matthew Desreuisseau of Shelburne Falls is the recipient of the Andrew Music Award, announced Music Department Chair Matthew Shippee. "We were consistently impressed by his dedication to his music studies,” says Shippee. "His record of academic success, hard work, and musical progress have marked his contributions to the academic community.”

A jazz pianist and songwriter, Desreuisseau is a member of the Euphonious Aberration band, which plays "a kind of funk jazz eclectic blend of music.”

GCC, says Desreuisseau, "really helped boost me into a serious musician role. It's helped me a lot with the theory, and getting me up-to-speed with my technique. My songwriting class has been really good as far as helping me get on the right path toward perfecting my art.

"GCC is really great, too, for networking with people. I've met a lot of really cool musicians at GCC, and it's been fun to play together.”

Desreuisseau is a cast member for the collaborative performance, "Sylvan,” that brings together students from the art, music, dance and theater departments. "That's really cool because it's putting the ‘community' into community college,” says Desreuisseau. (See related story on this page.)

Winning the Andrew Music Award, which comes with a $275 scholarship, "felt really special,” says Desreuisseau. "I've worked hard for the past two years to do my music, and Matthew Shippee really helped me as far as putting me in a position to go further and to follow my artistic dream.”

After graduating from GCC this June, Desreuisseau will continue to write songs and perform with Euphonious Aberration, and hopes to go on to study at UMass Amherst next spring.

In the meantime, "I'm just trying to do music throughout my life. It's hard, but it's going to be fun.”