Matthew began playing the viola at the age of 6, where he studied with the Principal Viola of the Ulster Orchestra for ten years. During his time at the City of Belfast School of Music, Matthew was awarded with numerous awards: Endeavour award for "most promising young string player" for two years running as well as the Flax Trust Bursary award of £2,000 in his final year to help towards his further studies in London. Matthew was also given the opportunity to perform Max Bruch's Romanze with Orchestra and Telemann Viola Concerto at the Ulster Hall, Belfast.
At the age of 10, he became a member of the National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain, where he spent three years playing with the UK's most talented children. During this time, Matthew got to perform in some of England's top concert halls such as the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Royal Festival Hall and even performed for the Queen of England during the year of her Diamond Jubilee.
Matthew has held Principal positions with the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, Ulster Youth Orchestra, Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra and City of Belfast Youth Orchestra. He has also played with Oxford University Symphony Orchestra, Barbican Chamber Orchestra and many others. In 2014, he was given the opportunity to go on tour to Abu Dhabi for 5 days to help spread the importance of classical music to the middle east, an experience he will never forget. He has also performed with professional orchestras including the Ulster Orchestra and Human Rights Orchestra of Europe in Luzern, Switzerland. Also, in 2014, Matthew gained a position in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain - "world's greatest orchestra of teenagers" - where he had the opportunity to perform in the BBC Proms series for two years running playing works including Mahler's 9th Symphony, Holst's Planets Suite and Also Sprach Zarathustra.
Matthew has played under some of the world's leading conductors and soloists including Vasily Petrenko, Takuo Yuasa, Sir Mark Elder, Edward Gardner, John Wilson, Kristjan Jarvi, Sir John Eliot Gardner and many more. During his time playing in the Human Rights Orchestra, he was playing alongside members of Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, La Scala and Berliner Philharmoniker.
In April 2016, Matthew took part in the final of the Catherine Judge Memorial Award - a competition open to soloists from across the Island of Ireland who want to pursue third level education in music. Most recently, he has taken part in the Virtuoso e Belcanto course in Lucca, Italy. Here he received training in chamber music from the Ysaye String quartet and world-renowned violist Bruno Giuranna and Paul Cortese, of whom he learnt a lot from. In the future, Matthew hopes to travel to Europe to further his studies as a soloist or chamber musician.
He is currently studying for his BMus at Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Professor Rachel Roberts, on a £3,000 per-year scholarship.
Emilia De Geer was born in Stockholm in 1997 and emigrated to the United Kingdom in 2006, where she attended St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh. She is currently in her third year at the Guildhall School of Music in Drama where she studies with Prof. Joan Havill and has worked closely with Prof. Paul Roberts. As a soloist and chamber musician, Emilia has performed in venues such as the Southbank Centre in London, the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh, Charlton House in London, the Edinburgh Society of Musicians, and the RNCM Concert Hall as part of the RNCM Chamber Music Festival. She has also been fortunate enough to work in projects and masterclasses with Marin Alsop, Steven Osborne, Stefan Bojsten, Joanna MacGregor, Martin Roscoe, Andrew Ball, and Leon McAwley, among others.
Taking a keen interest in other genres, Emilia spent several years as the pianist of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland, performing in venues such as Milton Court in London, the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow and the Rose Theatre in Edinburgh, and working with performers such as the Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra, Ian Ballamy and Liane Carroll. Having been raised in Scotland, she has been active in the traditional music scene, performing with several groups in the Orkney Folk Festival and the Edinburgh Mòd, winning the open stage category in the latter.
Emilia is grateful for the support of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Henry Wood Accommodation Trust and Riddarhuset.
Free recital (retiring collection)