Matthew Compton, a native of Colorado Springs, has been composing, arranging, and conducting music for handbells since 2007 when he was in the eighth grade. He had his first composition published at the age of fifteen, making him one of the youngest published handbell composers. Matthew graduated from Concordia University Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music with an emphasis in Composition and Conducting.

Based out of Vancouver, Washington now, he is the music director of the Bells of the Cascades in Portland, Oregon, Director of Music Ministries at Salmon Creek Church in Vancouver, and recently has become the new Artistic Director of Pikes Peak Ringers in Colorado Springs, CO. In addition to being a guest clinician at handbell festivals across the country, his music is frequently used at local and national handbell festivals, like the Bay View Week of Handbells and Distinctly Bronze East and West. He has been the recipient of the Donald E. Allured Composition Award and was the winner of the 2023 David Davidson Composition Contest for his piece Soundscapes. 

In his limited spare time, Matthew can occasionally be found streaming a variety of video games and music performances on Twitch, going hiking, or enjoying any number of movies, anime, or tv shows!