Matthew Taylor (born 6 December, 1964) is an English composer and conductor.

Biography

Taylor was born in London and attended the Junior Royal Academy of Music. He first studied composition with Robin Holloway at

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, c ...

University and later at

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jaz ...

and at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke ...

. He later continued his composition training with Robert Simpson and Sir

Malcolm Arnold Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006) was an England, English composer. His works feature music in many genres, including a cycle of nine symphonies, numerous concertos, concert works, chamber music, choral music a ...

. As a conductor he trained with Robin Page,

Vilém Tauský Vilém Tauský CBE (20 July 1910, Přerov, Moravia – 16 March 2004, London) was a Czech conductor and composer who, from the advent of the Second World War, lived and worked in the UK, one of a significant group of émigré composers and musici ...

, and with

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik festival. Taylor appeared as Guest Conductor with the

English Chamber Orchestra The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall. The orchestra regularly tours in the UK and internation ...

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an English orchestra, founded in 1893 and originally based in Bournemouth. With a remit to serve the South and South West of England, the BSO is administratively based in the adjacent town of Poole, s ...

City of London Sinfonia City of London Sinfonia (CLS) is an English chamber orchestra based in London. CLS performs regularly across the city of London in venues from East London clubs to traditional Central London concert halls. CLS is orchestra-in-residence at Oper ...

Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

Sinfonia, European Community Chamber Orchestra and St Petersburg State Academic Orchestra and has recorded for

Hyperion Records Hyperion Records is an independent British classical record label. History Hyperion is an independent British classical label that was established in 1980 with the goal of showcasing recordings of music in all genres and from all time period ...

and Dutton. Matthew Taylor has conducted first performances of pieces by Robert Simpson,

Vagn Holmboe Vagn Gylding Holmboe (, 20 December 1909 – 1 September 1996) was a Danish composer and teacher. Life Vagn Holmboe was born in Horsens, Jutland, into a merchant family of dedicated amateur musicians. Both parents played the piano. His fa ...

, David Matthews and James Francis Brown. Taylor's compositions, which include six symphonies,Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5, Nimbus NI6406 recording, reviewed at ''MusicWeb International''
/ref> eight string quartets and a considerable body of other chamber music, have been performed by the

BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO) is a Scottish broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), it is the oldest full-time professional ra ...

John McCabe John McCabe may refer to: * John McCabe (composer) (1939–2015), British composer and classical pianist * John McCabe (writer) (1920–2005), Shakespearean scholar and biographer * Christopher John McCabe (born 1967), British biologist and ...

Martyn Brabbins Martyn Charles Brabbins (born 13 August 1959) is a British conductor. The fourth of five children in his family, he learned to play the euphonium, and then the trombone during his youth at Towcester Studio Brass Band. He later studied compositio ...

, George Hurst,

Richard Watkins Richard Watkins (born 1962) is a French horn, horn player. He performs as a concerto soloist and chamber music player. He was Principal Horn of the Philharmonia Orchestra from 1985 to 1996, a position he relinquished to devote more time to his s ...

Raphael Wallfisch Raphael Wallfisch (born 15 June 1953 in London) is a British cellist and professor of cello. As a soloist he performs regularly with leading orchestras around the world, as well as together with duo partner John York (piano), or as member of the ...

and

Kenneth Woods Kenneth Allen Woods (born 1968) is an American conductor, composer and cellist, resident in the UK. Early career Woods studied conducting at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. His subsequent conducting mentors have includ ...

. He has been Artistic Director of the Malvern Festival, Composer in Residence at the

Blackheath Halls Blackheath Halls is a 600-seat concert hall on Lee Road in Blackheath, London, United Kingdom. It claims to be London's oldest surviving purpose-built cultural venue.http://www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/blackheath-halls/about-blackheath-halls About Black ...

, Associate Composer of ensemble

Sound Collective Sound Collective is a London-based professional music ensemble A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a dist ...

, Artistic Director of the Royal Tunbridge Wells International Music Festival and Artistic Director of the St Petersburg British Music Festival. Taylor was a lecturer in composition at the

and currently teaches composition at the Junior Academy.

Selected compositions

Matthew Taylor's works are published by

Edition Peters Edition Peters is a classical music publisher founded in Leipzig, Germany in 1800. History The company came into being on 1 December 1800 when the Viennese composer Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754–1812) and the local organist Ambrosius Kühne ...

. ;Orchestral * Symphony no.1 ''Sinfonia Brevis'', op. 2 (1985) * ''Lento'' for string orchestra, Op. 3 (1988, revised 1992) * ''In Spring'', Op. 4 (1989) * Symphony No. 2, Op. 10 (1991, revised 1997 and 2008) * ''Adagio'' for string orchestra (1998) * ''The Needles'', Op. 26 (2000) * Symphony No. 3, Op. 33 (2004) * ''Romanza'' for string orchestra, op. 36b (2006) * ''Storr'', Op. 43 (2011) * Symphony No. 4, Op.54 (2015-16) * ''Lovely Joan'', Op.57 for string orchestra (2018) * Symphony No. 5, Op.59 (2017-19) * Symphony No. 6 (2021) ;Band * ''Blasket Dances'' for symphonic wind ensemble, Op. 24 (2001) ;Concertante * Piano Concerto, Op. 13 (1992) * Clarinet Concerto, Op. 20 (1996) * Horn Concerto, Op. 23 (1999, revised 2004) * Double Bass Concerto, Op. 31 (2003) * Viola Concerto ''"Humoreskes"'', Op. 41 (2010) ;Chamber music * String Quartet No.1, Op.1 (1984) * ''Three Humoreskes'' for clarinet and piano, Op.5 (1989) * ''Introduction and Capriccio'' for wind octet (2 oboes, 2clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns), Op.7 (1990) * String Quartet No.2, Op.8 (1990) * ''Prelude, Meditation and Toccata'' for marimba (1991) * Violin Sonata, Op.12 (1992, revised 1994) * ''A July Pastoral'' for horn solo (1992) or for English horn (1993) * ''Night Visions'' for clarinet, violin, cello and piano, Op.14 (1993) * ''The Third Vision'' for oboe, horn, violin, cello and piano, Op.14 No.3a (1997) * ''Images in Spring'' for flute (piccolo) and piano, Op.16 (1993) * Piano Trio, Op.17 (1994) * ''A June Cantilena'' for clarinet solo (1995) * String Quartet No.3, Op.18 (1995) * ''Conflict and Consolation'' for 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani and percussion, Op.19 (1996) * ''Romanza'' for cello and piano (1997) * ''Trio – In Memoriam V.H.'' for flute (alto flute), viola and cello, Op.21 (1997) * String Quartet No.4, Op.22 (1999) * ''Four Lullabies'' for violin, viola, cello and piano, Op.27 (2001) * ''Adagio – Tribute to R.S.'' for string quartet, Op.28 (1998) * Cello Sonata, Op.29 (2002) * ''Fantasy Pieces'' for cello (or viola) and piano, Op.30 (2002) * ''Pastorals'' for violin and piano, Op.32 (2003) * ''Skal'' for wind quintet (2004) * ''Serenata Trionfale'' for wind octet (2 oboes, 2clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns), Op.34 (2006) * String Quartet No.5, Op.35 (2007) * String Quartet No.6, Op.36 (2008) * String Quartet No.7, Op.37 (2009) * ''Trombone Quartet'', Op.38 (2009) * String Quartet No 8, ''Salutations and Celebrations'', Op.56 (2017) * ''Reflections'' for violin and piano, Op.58 (2019) ;Piano * ''Anniversaries and Intermezzos'' (1990–1998, revised 1999) * ''Four Bagatellas'', Op.6 (1989) * ''Wassail'' for 4-hands, Op.15 (1993) ;Vocal * ''Three Rupert Brooke Songs'' for mezzo-soprano and piano or orchestra (1995) * ''A Christmas Blessing'' for mixed chorus (1998) * ''Four Pope Epigrams'' for soprano, counter-tenor, cello and harpsichord, Op.25 (1999) * ''Bright is the Ring of Words'' for high voice and piano (2001)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Matthew 1964 births Living people Academics of the Royal Academy of Music Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama English conductors (music) British male conductors (music) English composers 21st-century British conductors (music) 21st-century British male musicians