Matthew is a teacher, musician and composer based in Stroud, Gloucestershire.
Whether composing his own music, playing or teaching, Matthew believes passionately in the power of music to touch the heart and move us deeply. Matthew’s musical journey has encompassed both a classical training including a music degree, as well as an interest in exploring and assimilating various other influences from traditional musics from around the world.
Since 2002 Matthew has been fascinated by improvisation as creative expression, and has felt this to bring a new and exciting dimension to his performing, composing and teaching. He has a one-to-one teaching practice in piano, clarinet and improvisation in Stroud and Bristol, and many students have come seeking support with improvising and finding intuitive ways to engage with music to complement a more classical approach.
As a performer on clarinet and piano, Matthew has accompanied singers and played solo at concerts and festivals in the UK and abroad. He has played clarinet with the band Faeland and appears on their recent album. Musicians and audiences have commented on the sensitivity and heart-focused quality of Matthew’s playing.
Much of Matthew’s own music takes its inspiration from natural landscapes and the timelessness of ancient chant. One current project, Songs of the Forest, seeks to weave a magical and contemplative tapestry of sound using piano, clarinet and voices in a way that evokes the beauty and power of mountains, rivers and forests and the interconnection between forest species. Matthew believes passionately in music as something to be experienced actively rather than heard passively, and part of his composing work seeks to explore ways in which non-musically-trained people can engage and be a part of a moving musical experience. He wrote a participatory multi-faith 9-part chant for the 2018 Sacred Music Festival in Stroud, which embodies this conviction about the power of music to unite people and to build bridges.
Music Qualifications & Achievements:
- BA in Music
- ABRSM grade 8 in music theory, piano, clarinet
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