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Colin Matthews

Composer

He has … brought musical architectronics to a personal pitch of mastery.

— Paul Driver, The Sunday Times

A Visit to Friends – first performance!

30 June, 2025

5 opera singers on stage - the set is an opera rehearsal room

5½ years after work began on the opera it has finally happened. Two performances at Aldeburgh on June 13 and 14 with a superb cast, wonderfully directed by Rachael Hewer with exceptional designs by Leanne Vandenbussche. The Aurora orchestra and Jessica Cottis were outstanding.

The picture above shows the rehearsal set with Susanna Hurrell (Natalie/Nadia), Marcus Farnsworth (Marcus/Misha), Edward Hawkins (Gregor), Lotte Betts-Dean (Vanessa/Varia) and Gary Matthewman (Chris, rehearsal pianist). Below, Lotte Betts-Dean and Marcus Farnsworth in the Russian summer house set. Photographs by Richard Hubert Smith.

A Visit to Friends has been widely reviewed, including in The Observer, where I was delighted to see that Shosty the dog received rave reviews for his performance as Chekhov’s dog!

A woman and a man dressed in old-fashioned formal clothing hold hands on an opera set

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5 opera singers on stage - the set is an opera rehearsal room

A Visit to Friends – first performance!

30 June, 2025

Two men pose for a photo together in an empty concert hall

Red Note Festival in Illinois

3 April, 2025

Four people on stage receiving an award

Royal Philharmonic Society Gamechanger Award

12 March, 2025

Upcoming Performances

Click on the date and title of the performance to view venue and booking details in a new window.

30 October, 2025 - Pluto the Renewer
Odense Symfoniorkester, Alpesh Chauhan (Conductor)
Carl Nielsen Salen, Odense Concert Hall, Denmark

31 October, 2025 - Pluto the Renewer
Odense Symfoniorkester, Alpesh Chauhan (Conductor)
Carl Nielsen Salen, Odense Concert Hall, Denmark

8 February, 2026 - Oboe Concerto (World Premiere)
London Symphony Orchestra, Olivier Stankiewicz (Oboe), Elim Chan (Conductor)
Barbican Hall, London

View all performances

Useful Links

Faber Music
NMC Recordings
The Holst Foundation

© 2025 Colin Matthews · Website by Bookswarm

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