About Us

Huntsville has a unique, diverse, vibrant, awesome and inviting music ecosystem that significantly contributes to our economy, employs people throughout the region, and is a vital part of our culture that plays a leading role in the city’s long-term strategy for smart growth.

To that end, Huntsville set out to answer this central question: How could the City known for its stellar rocket propulsion propel itself to the forefront of the music universe? The goal – to create a more dynamic music environment, from education to creation, production and performance, in a way that strengthened Huntsville’s growing economy.

Mayor Tommy Battle’s Music Initiative turned up the volume on Huntsville’s music dreams, and gave way to a comprehensive music audit. The audit paved the way for the creation of the Huntsville Music Board, a governing body tasked with implementing and prioritizing the road map provided by the audit to nurture the City’s growing music industry. The board’s formation was followed by the hiring a full-time Music Officer, Matt Mandrella, in 2022 and the creation of the Huntsville Music Office.

Huntsville Music Officer

The Huntsville Music Office serves to create a more dynamic music environment that supports and strengthens Huntsville’s growing economy, attracts visitors and enhances the quality of life for current residents. It nurtures the city’s music ecosystem through advocacy, policy and strategic planning initiatives focused towards ensuring that our thriving music sector reaches its full potential.

As Huntsville’s Music Officer, Matt Mandrella will advocate for the City’s growing music sector and help oversee music-related strategic planning initiatives and economic opportunities.

Prior to relocating to Huntsville in January 2022, Mandrella worked at Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. There, he was involved with all aspects of marketing for the iconic Graceland campus and for Graceland Live, a new music venture with Live Nation focused on bringing renowned touring acts to venues at the property. Before working at Graceland, Mandrella spent more than a decade in one of the nation’s foremost music cities – Austin, Texas – where he worked for a variety of different venues, festivals and companies involved with booking and promoting live music across the USA such as Fun Fun Fun Fest, Mohawk, SXSW and Do512 (DoStuff Media).

Mandrella originally hails from the Mobile area and earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of South Alabama.

Huntsville Music Board

A first-of-its-kind in the State of Alabama, the Huntsville Music Board is a volunteer citizen advisory committee appointed by the City of Huntsville to help cultivate a diverse, vibrant, and freely expressive music ecosystem that creates opportunities and connections within our community.