Matthew Sharp

Long Biography

'Virtuoso of the arts' (The Times).

'Mr Innovation' (Julian Lloyd Webber)

'The Renaissance Man of classical music' (Classical Music Magazine)

Matthew is renowned for his 'freewheeling exuberance & blistering virtuosity' (BBC Music Magazine). He appears globally as solo cellist, baritone, director and educator. His guiding lights are upliftment and connection, fearlessness and joy. These principles propel him into the classical canon, through cross-cultural collaboration and across art forms.

Matthew studied cello with Boris Pergamenschikow in Cologne, voice with Ulla Blom in Stockholm and English at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was taken to Jacqueline du Pré when he was 12, Galina Vishnewskaya when he was 18 and studied chamber music with the Amadeus Quartet. He has performed worldwide from Glastonbury to Glyndebourne, Sydney Opera House to Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall to the Knitting Factory.

Matthew has appeared as solo performer with the RPO, LPO, RLPO, CBSO, Orchestra of Opera North, SCO, EUCO, ESO, Manchester Camerata, Orchestra of the Swan, Orchestra X, Arensky Chamber Orchestra, and Ural Philharmonic.

In opera, he has performed principal roles for the Royal Opera House, Opera North, Almeida Opera and Mahogany Opera Group, amongst many others.

In theatre, he has performed principal roles at the Young Vic and National Theatre Studio, collaborated with Kneehigh, Complicité and, most recently, with legendary illustrator and film-maker, Dave McKean.

He is an award-winning recording artist and has recorded for Sony, EMI, Decca, Naxos, Somm, NMC, Avie and Whirlwind.

As a director (music, theatre and opera), he has written, conceived and directed shows for Opera North, BBC, Breakthru Films, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and West Green Opera. His own music and theatre works have toured to major festivals in Europe, India, China and the US, including Glastonbury, Latitude, Wilderness, Mumbai LiveLit, Philadelphia Live Arts and NCPA, Beijing. In addition, he has given over sixty world premieres by composers from all walks of music - including the title role in Sir John Tavener's The Fool and Errollyn Wallen's Cello Concerto - at festivals from Sydney to Toronto, Sao Paulo to Delhi.

He is the agent of world-leading research in the performing arts and interdisciplinary practice, his pioneering multi-disciplinary performance work the focus of research in books and international publications.

As chamber musician, he has performed with the Amphion, Heath, Sacconi, Vertavo and Villiers quartets, Ensemble Epomeo and the Galliard Ensemble, with members of Brooklyn Rider, Grammy-nominated A Far Cry and Ensemble 360 and with, amongst others, Nicola Benedetti, David Le Page, Nicholas Daniel, Martin Fröst, Craig Ogden, Ksenija Sidorova, Katya Apekisheva, Leslie Howard, Stephen Kovacevich, Viv Mclean and Johan Ullen.

He has worked with an extraordinary spectrum of major artists, including: 

Sir John Tavener, Errollyn Wallen, Richard Dubugnon, Django Bates, Brian Irvine, Richard Causton, Stephen Deazley, John Harle, Paul Englishby, Julian Phillips, Adam Cork, Neil Innes; Marta Eggert, Trilok Gurtu, Dame Shirley Bassey, Sabreen, Iain Ballamy, Crispian Mills, Hanitra Rasanaivo, Gruff Rhys, Mike Westbrook, Keith Tippett, Sameer Rao, Tarun Bhattacharya, Kit Downes, Matthew Bourne, Emilia Martensson, Alice Zawadzki; Caryl Churchill, Martin Riley, Rupert Sheldrake, Carol Ann Duffy, Sir Andrew Motion, Zinovy Zinik, Patrick Barlow, Matt Harvey; Kneehigh, Complicite, Simon McBurney, Annabel Arden, Tim Supple, Phyllida Lloyd, Stopgap Dance; David McKean, Bunny Christie, Jean Kalman.

Matthew is artist-in-association with the English Symphony Orchestra and Northern Chamber Orchestra and is a visiting professor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. His devotion to unlocking and unleashing creativity, clarity and authenticity has taken him to schools, conservatoires and universities around the world.

He is thrilled to play on a copy of the ex-Pergamenschikow Montagnana by Robin Aitchison.

www.matthewsharp.net

Matthew Sharp

Short Biography

'Virtuoso of the arts' (The Times), Matthew Sharp, has performed worldwide as solo cellist, baritone, actor and director: solo appearances with the RPO, LPO, RLPO, CBSO; singing principal roles for the Royal Opera House and Opera North; acting principal roles at the Young Vic and National Theatre Studio; directing for the BBC and Opera North. From Glastonbury to Glyndebourne, Sydney Opera House to Wigmore Hall, he has worked with an extraordinary spectrum of leading artists from Sir John Tavener to Marta Eggert to Dave McKean to Caryl Churchill. His own music and theatre works have toured to major festivals globally. He has given over sixty world premieres and recorded for Sony, EMI, Decca, Naxos, Somm, NMC, Avie and Whirlwind.

www.matthewsharp.net