Mátti Kovler is a Russian-born Israeli-American composer and creator of new music theatre. Called by Steve Smith of The New York Times “a potentially estimable operatic composer in the making,” his music has been compared to Leonard Bernstein's.
Kovler has mastered a range of styles from folk and jazz to those steeped in the classical tradition, and brings these together in works of considerable dramatic scope. His musical influences include folklore research, improvisation, a deep fascination with Janáček and Bartók poly-modality and the cult writings of the French theatre philosopher Antonin Artaud. Somewhat reactionary to his Soviet upbringing, Kovler’s interest in bringing sacred texts or melodies from the Jewish tradition into a contemporary context was ignited by his mentor, Israeli composer André Hajdu, a student of Messiaen and Milhaud. An advocate of expanding the definition of "Jewish musical theater," over the past decade Kovler created a substantial body of work intended to propel this genre beyond wallowing in a nostalgic past. They aim to tap into a more nuanced, multi-dimensional sensibility aligned with the younger generation—a generation that is rooted in tradition but yearns for the next step, beyond Fiddler on the Roof.
Mátti Kovler is the artistic director of Floating Tower, based in Brooklyn, NYC. With a modular make-up of 27 multi-national actors/musicians, Floating Tower operates as a creator, producer and educator developing innovative content and new avenues for cross-cultural engagement. Since its founding in 2011, Floating Tower has created over thirty productions in the United States, Israel, China and Russia. Spanning from traditional to experimental, Floating Tower events have been staged at venues ranging from Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts to the Collector Gallery, a 1000 sq. ft. underground art-cave in Moscow.
Recent Projects
Life and work
Born in Moscow, Kovler is the paternal grandson of Russianoperatic tenor and Yiddish singer :ru:Ковлер, Леонид Иосифович|Leonid Kovler and Russian pianist Roza Eidus. Kovler immigrated to Israel in 1990 with his family. He graduated from the Israel Arts & Science Academy, and the Jerusalem Academy of Music and moved to the United States in 2006 to continue his studies. He holds a doctorate from the New England Conservatory in Boston. Kovler taught at the New England Conservatory, and the Northeastern University. In 2014-2015 he was the Elie Wiesel Center composer in residence at the Boston University. As part of this residency, Kovler created Floating Tower Series. He is a member of the advanced BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre workshop, the foremost training ground for new musical theatre. Mátti is married and lives in Brooklyn, NY.
