Matthew Kendell
Viola
Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Matthew recently graduated from Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2020. He attained a First Class (Honours) degree studying Viola performance with professors Matthew Jones and Rachel Roberts. Matthew is now embarking on a Master’s in ‘Music Psychology’ at the University of Sheffield.
In 2018, Matthew was a part of the ‘Clandeboye Festival’ in Belfast run by pianist Barry Douglas. Also, he took part in the Virtuoso e Belcanto course in Lucca, Italy where he received training in chamber music from the Ysaye String quartet and world-renowned violists Bruno Giuranna and Paul Cortese. Other chamber music training includes masterclasses with Levon Chilingirian, Takacs Quartet, Emerson Quartet and Endellion quartet. In February 2019, Matthew was invited to be a part of the new ‘Klassisk I Sentrum’ Festival in Grimstad, Norway. During the festival, he played and recorded with musicians such as Jan Bjoranger and Lars Anders Tomter. Matthew made his Wigmore Hall debut in October 2019, as part of the Irish Heritage Bursary competition for young soloists. Other concert hall appearances include Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Barbican Hall, Cadogan Hall, Ulster Hall to name a few. Performances with orchestra include Bruch Romance for Viola and orchestra and Telemann Viola concerto, both at the Ulster Hall in Belfast.
With his master’s studies, Matthew is keen to develop a greater importance on the mental/performance enhancement skills involved in learning an instrument, and how we can use these skills to become better all round performers. Alongside Matthew’s studies he works as a freelance performer and teacher, with a passion for making music more accessible to a wider audience of young children.