Matti Koponen began his violin studies at the age of three with Marja Olamaa at Käpylä Music Institute. Later, Koponen became a student of Seppo Tukiainen at the Youth Department of the Sibelius Academy. The Academy’s performing musical arts teacher was Päivyt Meller.

Matti Koponen has worked as a freelancer in several Finnish professional orchestras. He has held long-term positions at the Helsinki City Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Lapland Chamber Orchestra, where he was second violin principal in the autumn 2013 season. Koponen was the first concertmaster of the Lappeenranta City Orchestra from 2014 to 2018. In August 2018, Koponen started as concertmaster of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, Koponen is one of the concertmasters of the Savonlinna Opera Festival Orchestra.

Koponen performs extensively as a chamber musician. In recent years, he has been a much sought-after performer at the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Sysmän Suvisoitto and the Kaakko Chamber Music Festival, among others.