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Flutist and composer Matt Doran was born in 1921 in Covington, Kentucky. He had the distinction of being awarded in 1953 the very first Doctor of Musical Arts (in composition) ever granted. He had teaching positions at Del Mar College of Corpus Christi, Texas; Ball State College in Muncie, Indiana; and Mount St. Mary's in Los Angeles, California. He has composed 217 works that include operas, symphonies, concerti, songs, choral compositions, chamber pieces and 67 works that involve the flute. Major performances of Doran compositions include three performances at Carnegie Recital Hall, an evening of Doran works at the Strauss Conservatory in Munich, and opera performances in LA, New York, Texas, Oregon and Kansas.

His music is tonal in the sense of hovering over tonalities without actually setting down on a single tonal center until the very end of the movement. It is rhythmically and harmonically vital and provides interesting challenges for performers.