Matthew Schellhorn

"At no point during his stunning performance was there any hint of the fearsome technical difficulties posed by this music. … It is easy to see why this performance will remain a cherished memory for those privileged enough to experience it."
Christopher Dingle, BBC Music Magazine

MATTHEW SCHELLHORN is one of Britain's leading young pianists. Born in Yorkshire in 1977, he studied at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester and at the University of Cambridge, where his teachers included Maria Curcio, Ryszard Bakst and Peter Hill. He studied later in Paris with Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen.

Last season, Matthew Schellhorn gave solo recitals in the Three Choirs Festival (Chopin's Third Sonata, Skryabin's Ninth Sonata, and Stravinsky's Three Movements from Petrushka) and in the Messiaen 2002 International Conference (La Fauvette des jardins, and Visions de l'Amen with Peter Hill). Recent concerto performances have included appearances with the London Mozart Players in St John's, Smith Square (Mozart's Piano Concerto in C, K. 415), and with the Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra, directed by Jane Glover (Mozart's Piano Concerto in C minor, K. 491). The 2002/03 season included chamber performances with oboist Adrian Wilson, clarinettist Peter Sparks, bassoonist Shelly Organ, soprano Lynette Alcántara and The Fitzwilliam String Quartet. In 2000 he gave the UK premiere of Jeremy Thurlow's Piano Concerto in Cambridge.

Major venues have included Linbury Studio Theatre in Covent Garden's Royal Opera House, West Road Concert Hall in Cambridge, Sir Adrian Boult Hall in Birmingham, Huntingdon Hall in Worcester, Sir Jack Lyon's Hall in York, Assembly Rooms in Derby, Firth Hall in Sheffield, and De Montfort Hall in Leicester. In 1997 he performed in Rome as the guest of the British Ambassador to the Holy See. He has also given recitals in the Ribchester Festival and the Cambridge Festival.

Matthew Schellhorn's reputation as a leading exponent of new music has led to active associations and collaborative ventures with many contemporary composers, including Hugh Wood, Cecilia McDowall, and Jeremy Thurlow. He is also a renowned interpreter of the music of Olivier Messiaen, and his performances throughout Britain and Europe have been met with superlative critical approval. During 1999/2000 he attracted great national interest with his complete performances of Vingt regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus in London, Oxford and Cambridge. He is presently contributing to a new book about Messiaen, to be published by Ashgate in 2005.

Solo and chamber recitals throughout 2004/05 include complete performances of Messiaen's Catalogue d'oiseaux throughout Britain, and recitals at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, and in Sheffield, Cambridge, and Bristol. Chamber recitals will include performances with cellist Gemma Rosefield, clarinettist Catriona Scott, and flautist Kathryn Thomas. He will also be a guest artist at the 2005 Presteigne Festival of Music and the Arts.
September 2004. Please dispose of all previously dated biographical material.

Reviews

Contact details and further information

	World Concert Artist Directory
	Matthew Schellhorn *Piano*
	"At no point during his stunning performance was there any hint of the fearsome technical difficulties posed by this music. … It is easy to see why this performance will remain a cherished memory for those privileged enough to experience it." Christopher Dingle, BBC Music Magazine MATTHEW SCHELLHORN is one of Britain's leading young pianists. Born in Yorkshire in 1977, he studied at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester and at the University of Cambridge, where his teachers included Maria Curcio, Ryszard Bakst and Peter Hill. He studied later in Paris with Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen. Last season, Matthew Schellhorn gave solo recitals in the Three Choirs Festival (Chopin's Third Sonata, Skryabin's Ninth Sonata, and Stravinsky's Three Movements from Petrushka) and in the Messiaen 2002 International Conference (La Fauvette des jardins, and Visions de l'Amen with Peter Hill). Recent concerto performances have included appearances with the London Mozart Players in St John's, Smith Square (Mozart's Piano Concerto in C, K. 415), and with the Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra, directed by Jane Glover (Mozart's Piano Concerto in C minor, K. 491). The 2002/03 season included chamber performances with oboist Adrian Wilson, clarinettist Peter Sparks, bassoonist Shelly Organ, soprano Lynette Alcántara and The Fitzwilliam String Quartet. In 2000 he gave the UK premiere of Jeremy Thurlow's Piano Concerto in Cambridge. Major venues have included Linbury Studio Theatre in Covent Garden's Royal Opera House, West Road Concert Hall in Cambridge, Sir Adrian Boult Hall in Birmingham, Huntingdon Hall in Worcester, Sir Jack Lyon's Hall in York, Assembly Rooms in Derby, Firth Hall in Sheffield, and De Montfort Hall in Leicester. In 1997 he performed in Rome as the guest of the British Ambassador to the Holy See. He has also given recitals in the Ribchester Festival and the Cambridge Festival. Matthew Schellhorn's reputation as a leading exponent of new music has led to active associations and collaborative ventures with many contemporary composers, including Hugh Wood, Cecilia McDowall, and Jeremy Thurlow. He is also a renowned interpreter of the music of Olivier Messiaen, and his performances throughout Britain and Europe have been met with superlative critical approval. During 1999/2000 he attracted great national interest with his complete performances of Vingt regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus in London, Oxford and Cambridge. He is presently contributing to a new book about Messiaen, to be published by Ashgate in 2005. Solo and chamber recitals throughout 2004/05 include complete performances of Messiaen's Catalogue d'oiseaux throughout Britain, and recitals at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, and in Sheffield, Cambridge, and Bristol. Chamber recitals will include performances with cellist Gemma Rosefield, clarinettist Catriona Scott, and flautist Kathryn Thomas. He will also be a guest artist at the 2005 Presteigne Festival of Music and the Arts. September 2004. Please dispose of all previously dated biographical material. Reviews "The programme pianist Matthew Schellhorn chose made heavy demands, all of which he could surmount. The technical skills he displayed were truly virtuosic, while his emotional stamina could build an atmosphere of heart-breaking intensity. The last section of Skryabin's Ninth Sonata was executed brilliantly… ." Malvern Gazette, August 2002 'Tremendously lyrical playing. … It was as if the heavens had opened and daylight had shone through the hall.' Maria Chiara Bonazzi, La Stampa 'As the longest single span of music written by Messiaen for the piano, La fauvette des jardins is an extraordinary challenge for any performer. At no point during Matthew Schellhorn's stunning performance was there any hint of the fearsome technical difficulties posed by this music. Rather, as Messiaen wished, Schellhorn captured the distinct characters of each of the feathered protagonists, relishing the interplay and moments of drama between them. Crucially, he was able to convey a magnificent sense of space to Messiaen's canvass, so that the depictions of the 'blue lake' never felt hurried. This sense of calm, the ability to find a genuinely slow tempo even after several pages of high-octane, adrenaline-fuelled virtuosity, is the mark of a pianist in tune with Messiaen's intentions. Add to that Schellhorn's vibrant range of colour, thunderously resonating climaxes and some exquisite diminuendos that were judged to perfection and it is easy to see why this performance will remain a cherished memory for those privileged enough to experience it.' Christopher Dingle, BBC Music Magazine Contact details and further information E-mail Representative See also Matthew Schellhorn's concert diary Back to Directory home page