Matthew the Countertenor

Having trained as a chorister and young songman at Leicester Cathedral, Matthew is currently singing as a Layclerk at Southwell Minster. When he was studying at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, he sang with the Llandaff Cathedral Choir, as well as being a regular deputy with the Cathedral choirs of Hereford, Gloucester and Worcester. 

Matthew takes any opportunity to sing with various ensembles and choirs around the country, and during his time in Wales sang solos with the Wolverhampton Symphony Orchestra in two performances of the Messiah and sung with the BBC National Chorus of Wales (both as a chorus member and soloist). 

 

In his early stages, Matthew gained lots of solo experience. His first big solo was at the Leicester Early Music Festival in 2008, where he sang Allegri's 'Miserere'. With this same choir (Coro Nostro) he sang Mendelssohn's 'Hear My Prayer' later that year. This solo experience has continued into his professional career, where Matthew is a sought-after soloist for Oratorio works, having performed the solos for Handel’s Messiah, Bach Passions, Purcell cantatas as well as contemporary music. The most recent piece of contemporary music that Matthew has been a part of was performing the part of ‘Thomas Ledbury’ in Jasper Dommett’s opera adaption of Coram Boy (based on the play by Helen Edmundson), which premiered as a part of the RWCMD Atmospheres Festival of New Music in May 2021.

During his five-year relationship with the Hereford Cathedral Choir, starting in 2015, Matthew has taken part in two of the Three Choirs Festivals, which included notable highlights such as singing the Monteverdi Vespers with Rachel Podger and Brecon Baroque. In June 2018, Matthew went to Rome with the Hereford Cathedral Choir to take part in a week of singing in the Vatican, including a concert in the Sistine Chapel with the Choir of the Sistine Chapel. He is also a member of the Genesis Sixteen 2020/21 cohort, an auditioned youth choral training scheme run by Harry Christophers, Eamonn Dougan and the Sixteen.

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Soloist, consort singer and valued choir member; Matthew could be the perfect fit for your concert or group. Click the 'Book Matthew' button below to get in touch.