Andrew Matthews-Owen

Andrew Matthews-Owen is a Welsh pianist and accompanist. He was born at Neath, Wales and now lives in London

He enjoys a busy career partnering some of the UK’s leading singers, on the concert platform, on record and as a performance and vocal coach.

Concert engagements have taken him to major venues around the UK and abroad, most notably the Wigmore Hall, Southbank Centre (Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room), Kings Place, Warehouse, Birmingham Symphony Hall, St David’s Hall, National Portrait Gallery and on the Cutting Edge Tour, with artists including Patricia Bardon, Claire Booth, Anne-Sophie Duprels, Helen Field, John MacMaster Gail Pearson, Natalya Romaniw, Nicky Spence, Katie Van Kooten, Sir Willard White, French horn player Richard Watkins percussionist Joby Burgess and the Brodowski and Allegri string quartets.

He has also appeared in words and music revues, with actors and personalities including Alexander Armstrong, Katie Derham and in numerous performances of A Celebration of Jane Austen with actors Robert Powell, Elizabeth Garvie and flautist Clive Conway.

Andrew has broadcast live on numerous occasions for BBC Television and BBC Radio 3, most recently from the Purcell Room, Southbank Centre.

Andrew is fast developing a reputation in contemporary music, regularly giving premieres of scores by eminent composers including Michael Berkeley, Charlotte Bray, Philip Cashian, Laurence Crane, Jonathan Dove, Alun Hoddinott, Simon Holt and Arlene Sierra.

Releases of CDs for major labels Naxos and NMC have garnered considerable critical acclaim. Recent discs of song cycles by Jonathan Dove (Naxos), Alun Hoddinott (Naxos) and Charlotte Bray (NMC) have been 'Editor's Choice', 'Disc of the Year' and 'Recommended Recording of the Month' in Gramophone magazine, and included in the Times newspaper 'Best CDs of 2014'.

Andrew studied at Cardiff University as an undergraduate, before winning a scholarship place as a postgraduate at the Royal Academy of Music generously supported by the RAM Trust, S4C Wales Television, Sir Edward Heath, Coutt’s Bank and the Rayne Foundation. He has also studied privately with Christine Croshaw, Roger Vignoles, Michael Pollock and Eugene Asti.

Andrew’s own passionate interest in music education is focused through his work at Trinity College of Music, London, where he teaches piano and performance classes. He has also given master classes at the universities of Cardiff and Hull.

Competition successes include the coveted Sir Henry Richardson Award for Accompanists (MBF), John Ireland Trust Prize, Elisabeth Schumann Lieder Prize and the Ryan Davies Memorial Award.

In 2011, Andrew was awarded the inaugural T.Glanville Jones/Leo Abse and Cohen Award by the Welsh Music Guild for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Welsh Music.’

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