Composition

Matthew has been composing music for a number of years; through his main areas of folk music, contemporary art music composition and music for education, he has created a wide range of music, examples of which can be heard on the following pages.

Bishop's Bedlam on Prebends Bridge in Durham, 2004

Folk Music

As a member of Ceilidhography, as a Shooting Roots tutor, and through his work with morris dancers like Bishop's Bedlam, Matthew has a very "hands on" approach to folk music. He writes tunes in the English tradition, but is proud of his many influences - traditional Irish, French, Klezmer and Eastern European music and also modern trad-style tune writers like Michael McGoldrick, Andy Hornby and Gian Marco Pietrasanta from Myrddyn. A selection of his original work can be heard from this page.

Matthew performing with the Northern Sinfonia in Martyn Harry's Signal Failure, March 2003

Contemporary Art Music Composition

Since beginning his undergraduate studies in Durham, Matthew has has found a great release through new music; both through studying as a performer and through developing his own techniques as a composer. A number of performances of his work can be heard in thist page.

Composition for Education

As a teacher for the past five years, Matthew has built up an understanding of the needs of pupils for developing their performance and compositional skills. These pieces have been used as technical exercises and exemplar material over this time.