The Heartland Marimba Quartet (HMQ) was established in 2016 by acclaimed marimba soloist Matthew Coley and has done more than 140 concerts since its inception. The group seeks to give a platform to the music of American composers in its programming and continues to expand its repertoire with works from composers worldwide. Comprised of four distinctly creative forces – Matthew Coley, Hunter Gross, Ryan Pearson, and Marco Schirripa. HMQ exemplifies Heartland Marimba’s mission to develop and disseminate the classical marimba art form in both academic and community contexts.

Heartland Marimba has been committed to creating a viable market for the classical marimba art form since 2014. Embedded in this platform is a deep passion to bring marimba performance to communities of all sizes, especially small towns, and under-served communities.

HM has produced more than 200 concerts in more than 50 cities since 2014. Thousands of children have experienced educational presentations by HM groups, more than 20 composers have written for HM groups, and at least 30 young artists have been employed by the HMEnsemble. We are focused on the future of the marimba art form.

Our programs are diverse and accessible to many types of audiences. In 2020 we were awarded a grant from New Music USA to commission 6 women composers to write for the quartet. Since that year we’ve added several other pieces to the repertoire through our commissioning efforts. Following our 2021 and 2022 performances at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention and exhibition performance at the World Marimba Competition in Stuttgart, Germany we have been considered a leader in the field of keyboard percussion chamber music, and a one-of-a-kind entity that is effectively elevating the art form.