Dr. Matthew Shipes is the Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at The University of Georgia and tubist with the Georgia Brass Quintet. As a tuba and euphonium player, he has performed in a wide variety of ensembles throughout his career including the Brass of the Potomac, San Angelo Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Charleston Symphony, Erie Philharmonic, and others.

In 2020 Matt created the first-ever international euphonium mock-band e-competition, Stars and Shipes, engaging over 100 participants from several countries around the world and featuring a judging panel of top euphonium performers from the premier military bands in Washington D.C. over four years. 

Matt was a member of The United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C as a euphoniumist and (sometimes) tubist in the Ceremonial Brass, a position he held until 2016. While in the band, he had opportunities to perform for former President Obama, several foreign leaders, and for hundreds of ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery. He also performed with the USAF Concert Band on their Spring 2015 tour through Utah, California and Nevada, and is featured on their album, American Voices.

Matt has performed recitals and given masterclasses across the country, including a featured solo recital at the 2019 United States Army Band’s Tuba and Euphonium Workshop. He was also an invited speaker at the 2019 International Tuba and Euphonium Conference (ITEC) at the University of Iowa, and presented his class, “A Guide to Military Band Auditions,” which he has presented at several regional tuba and euphonium conferences as well. He also performed with the American Tuba Quartet, of which he is a founding member, at the 2016 ITEC at the University of Tennessee, and has been a featured soloist and performer at 2022 and 2024 regional ITEA conferences, and most recently hosted the 2026 South East Tuba Euphonium Conference at UGA.

Matt released his first album, Outside the Lines in 2024, featuring several world premiers of pieces written for both the tuba and euphonium. Shipes received a Silver Medal in the 2026 Global Music Awards for this album, and is hailed for his “masterful lyricism” and “outstanding technical excellence and musical clarity” by the ITEA Journal in their album review. 

Matt earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baylor University, a Master of Music degree in Euphonium Performance from the University of Arkansas, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Tuba Performance from the University of Georgia. His primary teachers are David Graves, Benjamin Pierce, and David Zerkel.