Trombonist
Matt is a freelance musician based in London, and is a recent graduate of the Royal College of Music, London.
He has a lot of experience in a wide variety of genres, including playing in orchestras, operas, musicals, big bands, wind bands, brass bands, function bands, ska bands, brass quintets, and trombone quartets, as well as performing as a soloist with several orchestras and doing recording sessions in studios.
Versatility is very important for any working musician. Matt owns several instruments and plays them all to a high standard to allow him to be a versatile performer.
He can be booked to play:
-
Tenor Trombone
-
Bass Trombone
-
Alto Trombone
-
Euphonium
-
Bass Guitar
For any music event:
-
Orchestras of all standards
-
Musical Theatre Bands
-
Jazz Bands of all sizes
-
Function Bands
-
Brass and Wind Bands
-
Chamber Ensembles
-
Recording Sessions
-
Anything else requiring any of the above instruments
If you wish to book Matt for any event requiring any of the above, please Contact Matt.
Biography
Matt started playing his first instrument, the trombone, at the age of 12, and quickly progressed through the grades achieving Grade 8 in four years, under the tuition of Richard Hall. He then went on to study jazz trombone with Richard and achieved Grade 5 jazz trombone the next year.
Realising that he wanted to make a career in music, Matt began lessons with Jayne Murrill, a trombonist of the acclaimed Bones Apart trombone quartet.
He auditioned at the Royal College of Music, Royal Northern College of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire, and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and was accepted at all of these.
Matt spent a very enjoyable four years studying trombone at the Royal College of Music with Lindsay Shilling, Byron Fulcher, Amos Miller, and Roger Harvey, and jazz trombone with Richard Edwards.
He was awarded the Gordon S. Lang Scholarship by CCL Ind. to study at the RCM, and was also a Norfolk Scholar. In his final year at the RCM, Matt won the trombone prize in the RCM's Solo Brass Competition 2017.
He graduated from the Royal College of Music in July 2017 with a First Class Bachelor of Music degree with Honours.
Matt is now a freelance musician, brass teacher and music arranger based in London.
Testimonials
Musical Theatre
Matt is a seasoned theatre musician, having played in many theatre bands of every style of show, from jazzy shows such as Top Hat and Chicago to more orchestral shows such as Oklahoma and West Side Story.
He is experienced with following click tracks as well as conductors, and has 'doubled' and 'tripled' on multiple instruments for shows, including tenor trombone, bass trombone and euphonium for one show, and bass trombone and tuba for another.
Playing for shows has taken Matt to many venues across London, Norfolk and beyond, including the Adelphi Theatre, London, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
-
Ovation Theatre Company - Top Hat (Off-West End - Upstairs At The Gatehouse)
-
Endellion Theatre Company - Oliver (Off-West End)
-
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts - Half A Sixpence
-
London Musical Theatre Orchestra - Candide, Chess, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, White Christmas, The Light In The Piazza and Oklahoma
-
National Youth Music Theatre - The Battle of Boat (World Premiere) and 40th Anniversary Show (Adelphi Theatre)
-
Edinburgh Fringe Festival - Miss Saigon and The Addams Family
-
King's College London - West Side Story, Les Misérables, Grease, Thoroughly Modern Millie, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and The Mikado
-
Norfolk Youth Music Theatre - Miss Saigon, Phantom of The Opera and The Secret Garden
-
Fakenham and District Light Operatic Society - Les Misérables, Oliver and Legally Blonde
-
Cromer and Sheringham Operatic Society - Copacabana and Calamity Jane
-
The Phoenix Players - Thoroughly Modern Millie and Curtains
-
Irving Stage Company - West Side Story and 9 to 5
-
City Academy - Legally Blonde
-
Godolphin and Latymer School - Chicago
-
Forest Musical Theatre Company - Sister Act
-
Harpenden Light Operatic Society - Thoroughly Modern Millie
-
Quay Players - Legally Blonde
-
Little Theatre Company - 9 to 5
-
The Cygnet Players - Fully Monty
-
Ocean Theatre Company - Anything Goes
-
Sound Ideas Theatre - Urinetown
-
Centre Stage London - Evita
-
Leigh Operatic and Dramatic Society - Spamalot
-
Southend Operatic Society - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
-
Norfolk and Norwich Operatic Society - Sweeney Todd
-
Threshold Theatre Company - City Of Angels
-
HEOS Musical Theatre - Copacabana
-
Imperial College Musical Theatre Society - Sweeney Todd
-
City College Norwich Musical Theatre - Witches of Eastwick
-
Step On Stage Productions - Oliver
-
Whetstone Musical Theatre Group - A Slice of Saturday Night
-
Trinity School Croydon - Oliver
-
Fakenham High School - Bugsy Malone and Return To The Forbidden Planet
-
Notre Dame School - The Vackees
Orchestras
Matt has a lot of experience playing tenor trombone, bass trombone, alto trombone and euphonium with a wide range of orchestras. These include symphony orchestras, film orchestras, classical orchestras, youth orchestras and more, in London, Norfolk, and beyond.
Playing with these orchestras has allowed Matt to play in venues such as The Royal Festival Hall, Cadogan Hall, St. John's Smith Square and at The Royal Norfolk Show.
London:
-
The Philharmonia Orchestra - RCM Sit-In Scheme
Norfolk:
-
Norfolk County Youth Orchestra - Including playing the Larsson Concertino for Trombone
Elsewhere:
Operas:
-
Surrey Opera - Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Life To Come
-
Claxton Opera - Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream
-
Jan Gorjanc's Arahnes (Cadogan Hall)
-
Michael Oliva's Singularity
Jazz
Jazz is a big part of Matt's musical life, and he has played with several different big bands and small bands, playing both lead trombone and bass trombone.
Recording Sessions
-
Abbey Road Studio 1 - Scheherazade with RCM Philharmonic
-
Naxos Records - One volume of The Entire Works of Sousa - Concert Hall, RCM
-
Xiomara Crystal - Studio Album - Angel Studios
-
National Youth Music Theatre - Original Cast Recording: The Battle of Boat - Crown Lane Studio
-
Norfolk Students Brass Quintet - Debut Album: A Brass Showcase
-
Andy Cooper - Studio of Andy Cooper
-
RCM Film Composers - Belle Shenkman Studio, RCM
-
Music Technology Students - FHS Studios
TV Appearances
-
ITV 1's Harry Price: Ghost Hunter
-
ITV 1's This Morning
-
BBC 1's Breakfast
-
Walkers Crisps' Pay Packets Un-Bagging Challenge
![]() Harry Price: Ghost HunterITV 1 |
---|
![]() This MorningITV 1 |
![]() BreakfastBBC 1 |
![]() Pay Packets Un-Bagging ChallengeWalkers Crisps |
Chamber Music
Matt also enjoys playing with chamber groups, such as brass quintets and trombone quartets, and has done many arrangements for these groups.
The first group Matt formed was the Norfolk Students Brass Quintet, made from players from all over Norfolk who have all since become professional musicians. They play a vast variety of music, play in concerts all over Norfolk, busk in Norwich, and have recorded and created a high quality CD. Matt plays bass trombone in the NSBQ.
Before he left sixth-form, Matt created a trombone quartet in the hope that it would continue once he left. This was a good opportunity for him to create and test lots of new trombone quartet arrangements, some of which can be found in the Shop.
Since moving to London, Matt has been part of many new chamber groups, including brass quintets, brass dectets, trombone quartets and trombone choirs.
An idea that Matt came up with recently was to write trombone ensemble arrangements and then record all of the parts himself to make YouTube videos. This idea has become a reality and has been named Multi-Matt!
You can find all of these videos on Matt's YouTube channel.
Soloist
-
Arundel Musicians Trail - One of six soloists performing as part of the Arundel Festival
-
Norfolk County Youth Orchestra - Larsson Concertino for Trombone and String Orchestra
-
Royal College of Music Solo Brass Competition 2017 - Trombone Prize Winner
-
Sheringham Brass Competition - 'Best Soloist' Prize
-
King's Lynn Minster - Trombone and Organ recitals
-
Fulham Brass Band - Solos on Trombone and Euphonium - Currently Principal Euphonium
-
Fakenham Town Band - Including several virtuosic solos for Bass Trombone and Brass Band
-
Cawston Band - Including solos on Trombone
-
Fakenham High School Concert Band - Including Eric Cook's Bolivar for Trombone and Concert Band
Brass & Wind Bands
-
Fulham Brass Band - Solos on Trombone and Euphonium - Currently Principal Euphonium
-
Fakenham Town Band - Including several virtuosic solos for Bass Trombone and Brass Band
-
Cawston Band - Including solos on Trombone
-
Fakenham High School Concert Band - Including Eric Cook's Bolivar for Trombone and Concert Band
Function Bands
-
Killamonjambo - Original Funk/Ska Band
-
WSFB - P-Funk Band
-
Soultanas - Function Band
-
The Cabin Boyz - Function Band
Teaching
See the Teacher page for more information about getting lessons with Matt.
Teaching experience:
-
Private tuition - All brass instruments and music theory, children and adults
-
London College of Music Junior College - Brass teacher
-
City of London Boys School - Peripatetic trombone teacher work experience
-
Barrow Hill Primary School - Whole class teaching work experience
-
Tri-Borough Music Hub - Lead interactive music workshops
-
Fakenham Town Junior Brass Band - Directed weekly band rehearsals and taught one-to-one lessons
School/Youth Orchestra/Wind Band coaching:
-
Godolphin and Latymer School, Hammersmith
-
South London Youth Orchestra, Dulwich
-
King's College School, Wimbledon
-
St Albans School, St Albans
-
Mill Hill School, Mill Hill
-
Hounslow Youth Concert Band, Hounslow
Certification:
-
Enhanced DBS (CRB) Check with update service
- Specifically for working with children as a music teacher -
NSPCC Child Protection Course
- A safeguarding course for anyone who works with children