Matthew Dewey BMus, MMusTech
Matthew Dewey is an Australian composer and sound designer. He studied composition under Professor Douglas Knehans (DMA Yale) and Constantine Koukias at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music where in he received the Don Kay Scholarship for Music Composition. He is pro-active in new music initiatives, being a founding member of IHOS Music Theatre Laboratory and the Mediocritist Ensemble, Artistic Director of Daylight Robbery Theatricals, and as founder and Director of both the Tasmanian New Music Ensemble and the Tasmanian Composers Collective (funded by the Foundation for Young Australians), which aims to provide marketing, performance, recording and broadcast support and opportunities to Tasmanian composers.
Matthew’s compositions have been commissioned and performed by groups and companies including: The Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, Contemporanes ensamble de guitarras de Monterrey (Mexico), IHOS Music Theatre laboratory, the Seymour Group (Sydney), The New York Miniaturist Ensemble (USA) the Sydney Children’s Choir, Hobart Chamber Orchestra, Hutchins String Quartet, Backgammon Baroque, Terrapin Puppet Theatre and by musicians including Jean Louis Forestier (Conductor), Edwin Paling (Violinist and Conductor) William Lane (Violist and Artistic Director of ¿grenzenlos?, Joshua Rubin (Clarinetist – International Contemporary Music Ensemble), Harry Spaarnay (Bass Clarinet), Brooke Green (Viola da Gamba), Michael Kieren Harvey (Pianist), Sarah Jones (Soprano), Michael Lampard (Baritone), Christopher Richardson (Baritone), Karen Smithies (Pianist), Jabrah Latham (Saxophone) and Ben van Tienen (Pianist and Choral Conductor).
Recording with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra. Photo of the orchestra across the top of nearby grand piano. Moscow Radio House, June 2009.
2008 saw the premiere of Matthew Dewey’s First Symphony (No. 1 – Port Arthur 1996). The work, which was commissioned by Damien Holloway, was premiered by the Hobart Chamber Orchestra at the Hobart Town Hall under the baton of eminent British violinist Edwin Paling. It received critical acclaim and grabbed attention and the ears of many including those of a mystery patron who in turn decided to fund a professional recording of the symphony. In 2009, the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra recorded both the Symphony No.1 and the newly composed Orchestral Suite No. 1 (which was composed over the three weeks preceding the recording after the composer was informed that there was space to record one more work) at the Moscow Radio House.
In 2006 Matthew was awarded an International Arts Mentorship with Greek/Australian Constantine Koukias (jointly funded by Ars Musica Australis and the Foundation for Young Australians). The mentorship afforded the unique opportunity to travel through Europe and America as Mr. Koukias’ assistant in planning meetings and auditions with production houses, leading performance ensembles and embassies, and as a chance to meet with eminent composers and performers for lessons/discussions. Composers included Robert Zuidam, Jake Heggie, Ricky Ian Gordon and Martin Martalon.
A meeting of composers at the Australian Embassy in Paris. L-R: Alain Weber (Music Consultant, Cité de la musique), Matthew Dewey, Constantine Koukias, Bernard Cavanna, Martin Matalon and Jean-Louis Agobet. Also present, but not pictured - Ambassador Penelope Wensley AO.
In November 2006, Matthew’s miniature solo clarinet piece entitled “Ecstatic Visions” was performed by Joshua Rubin from the New York Miniaturist ensemble at the Bruno Walter Auditorium in the Lincoln Centre in New York. As part of the Seymour Group’s Tasmanian Conservatorium residency in 2003, the group premiered two of his works, “A Dance on Five Claps” (for ensemble and digital delay) and “Voyage” (for ensemble with bass clarinet solo) in which the solo was performed by internationally renowned Bass Clarinettist Harry Spaarnay. Matthew has scored incidental music for a number of theatrical productions and short films.
He has composed four chamber operas “The Buzz of the Sea” (2008), “15 Years on Hold” (2007), “A Priest’s Passion” (2004) and “The Death of Chatterton” (2005) (for which he received a BUZZ grant from the Australia Council for the Arts) the last two of which have been produced in staged productions by the IHOS Music Theatre Laboratory and recorded by ABC Classic FM. He writes extensively for the voice and his works include “To a Skylark” – for Soprano and Piano, “Isolated States” song cycle for String Quartet and Bass-Baritone, “Insomniac” for solo Baritone and the “Chatterton Suite” – song cycle for Bass, Flute and Percussion. His work “Elegy” – a song suite for Soprano, two percussionists and digital pre-record, was premiered as part of a guest artist appearance at Maldini’s restaurant at Salamanaca in Hobart.
Matthew Dewey conducting a band rehearsal for The Death of Chatterton, September 2005. Musicians are Heather Monkhouse (Clarinet), Julian Bush (Bassoon), Tony Morgan (Cello) and Robert Rule (Percussion - out of shot on far right); In the background IHOS producer Marianne Fisher talks with designer Rachel Lang.
For seven years he was mentored by Composer and Artistic Director of IHOS Music Theatre and Opera, Constantine Koukias, in composition, performance and theatrical design. He was for 5 years operating as Koukias’ music typesetter and in that time scored the opera “TESLA – Lightning in his Hand”; the sacred concert-mass “Pentekostarion – Prayer Bells for Federation” which was premiered at the Melbourne Festival 2001; Ancient Immortal Spirit (for TSO) (all three of which Matthew also performed in); “Prayer at Lamplighting” which was premiered by the China National Symphony Orchestra; and numerous other chamber music works.
As a singer/actor, Matthew has performed in more than 20 premiere performances of operas and experimental music theatre works, including works by Constantine Koukias, Philip Glass, Maria Grenfell, Claudio Pompili, Hugh Covill, Christopher Williams, Joe Bugden and Raffaello Marcellino. He is a founding member of the IHOS Music Theatre Laboratory and holds a bachelor of music in composition from the University of Tasmania. He studies voice and has received tuition from Helen Todd, Constantine Koukias, Julianne Van der Boor, Christopher Richardson, Marilyn Smith and Jane Edwards.
His appearances as a principal performer have included the bass soloist in the Australasian Premiere of Philip Glass’ opera “Hydrogen Jukebox”, Archondas (Landlord) in I Protomastoras (Masterbuilder) by Manolis Kalomiris (1st performance outside of Greece), the Caretaker in Claudio Pompili’s opera Touch Wood (both Adelaide and Hobart seasons), the lead role of Douglas Mawson in the world premiere concert version of Joe Bugden’s opera “The Call of the Aurora”, and George Westinghouse in Constantine Koukias’ opera “TESLA – Lightning in his Hand” (Suite Version) for the Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM). Recent performances include the role of Arturas in the first workshop staging of Constantine Koukias’ newly commissioned opera “Olegas” and the role of Mawson in Joe Bugden’s opera “The Call of the Aurora”.
His in addition to his musical training, Matthew studied Butoh and Kabuki movement techniques with Jindra Rosendorf, acting and performance training at Elizabeth College, and has attended workshops and master classes covering an array of performance practices including puppetry, contemporary dance, improvisation and extended vocal techniques from leading arts and theatre practitioners Robert Jarman, Rick Goddard, Helen Todd, Constantine Koukias, Christos Linou, Yuha Vaharkarteno, Ferit Seljuk and Don Bate.
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