Matthew Espina Harris

Matthew Espina Harris is a musician and cultural researcher based in Oakland with Kapampangan and Surigaonon roots. He got his start in Philippine dance and music through Pilipino Culture Night at UC Davis, where he fell in love with Kulintang and Rondalla. While attending university, Matthew established one of the only student-run, traditionally-based Kulintang ensembles in the United States.

Matthew is a proud member of Agos, a Kularts program, as part of their Rondalla ensemble. He is also a practitioner of traditional Kulintang music, learning from ensembles like House of Gongs, Little Manila Stockton, Kulintang Dialect, Tambuli Cultural Dance Troupe and Salamindanao Dance Company.

Since 2019, Matthew has been a principal field researcher with Parangal. He is grateful and fortunate enough to have immersed with a number of communities across the Philippines, such as the Bugkalot, Ifugao, Kalinga, Maguindanaon, Meranaw, Sama, Subanen, Talaandig, Tausug, Tboli, and Yakan.

Matthew’s first project with Parangal was Sambuyoga Malna for the San Francisco Trolley Dances at Salesforce (2021). In 2022, Matthew formally joined the artistic team of Parangal, and now works as Co-Director of Music to strengthen the company’s gong and percussion repertoire. His other notable music works include the Sama Ta’u Sug-inspired set, Panghimati sin Parsugpatan (2023), and the Tboli-inspired set, Keseguyen (2023). He was also a co-producer and music director of Parangal’s first full-length Maguindanaon-inspired show, Ipat a Kadsakay (2024).

With a deep passion for community building, Matthew has served as an educator and cultural resource to organizations like Kasamahan at University of San Francisco, PACE at San Francisco State, Mga Kapatid at UC Davis, Kilusan Pilipino at University of Pacific, and Barkada at Santa Clara University. He has also done workshops with Filipinx-interest organizations and dance collectives in Anchorage, Aurora, Denver, Houston, and Ketchikan.

In 2024, Matthew participated in his first artistic residency with Kultivate Labs through Balay Kreative. In this program, Matthew produced his first personal show, Makabagong Kumparsa, which celebrated Rondalla music of old and new.

Outside of his performing arts career, Matthew is also the owner and operator of PamanaTreasures, an event-based retailer that aims to bridge diasporic interest in tangible heritage with the growing movement in support of Philippine artisans.