Biography

Born in 1966, Charles Matthews studied at the Royal College of Music, London, and was an organ scholar at Trinity College, Cambridge.  His teachers have included Beryl Tichbon, Gwilym Isaac, David Pettit, Patricia Carroll, Nicholas Danby, Charles Spinks and Dr Richard Marlow.

Charles pursues a varied career as pianist, organist and harpsichordist, both as soloist and within various chamber ensembles, performing and broadcasting for radio and television within the UK and internationally.  He also works regularly as conductor, composer and teacher.  Some of his solo programmes involve collaborations with visual artists or poets; others include readings from composers' correspondence.  He is also keen to preserve the custom of holding concerts in private homes.

Charles has won numerous awards, perhaps most notably first prize in the 1999 Franz Liszt Memorial Competition in Budapest.  His most recent recording is of Francis Routh's cycle The Well-tempered Pianist; some tracks from this CD can be heard free of charge at the Redcliffe Recordings website.  A collection of his compositions for flute and piano was published in 2006 by Schott.

Charles is organist of St Catharine's Church, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire; he also works extensively with children, is an organ tutor at the Birmingham Conservatoire and contemporary music coach for the annual Curso Internacional Matisse at San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

Charles is married with three children.

Parts or all of this biography of Charles may be re-used in promotional material for his concerts.
Please add the following words: For further information please see www.charlesmatthews.co.uk