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Colin Matthews

Composer

The Isambard Kingdom Brunel of contemporary music …

— Paul Griffiths, The Times

Hans Werne Henze

1 July, 2026

Hans Werner Henze poses for a photo between Colin and Belinda Matthews. Another man (Olly Knussen) is just visible next to Colin.

July 1 would have been Hans Werner Henze’s 100th birthday. He died in 2012 at the age of 86, and this photo was taken at the Barbican on the occasion of his last concert in London (Olly Knussen, who conducted, is just visible on my right) . We spent a lot of time with him, especially on his visits to Tanglewood and Aldeburgh. At one concert at Snape he started to take a bow after my piece was played, saying afterwards ‘Colin, I didn’t realise my piece was so fast’. His piece in the concert was Adagio adagio. Even more memorable was when, unwilling to face the car journey from Snape to Heathrow, he hired a helicopter to take him there, hoping to make an unobtrusive departure. Inevitably a large crowd gathered to wave him off!

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Around 25 musicians and composers line up to take a bow on stage at the Snape Maltings Concert Hall

Britten Pears Arts Composition and Performance 2026

16 September, 2026

Hans Werner Henze poses for a photo between Colin and Belinda Matthews. Another man (Olly Knussen) is just visible next to Colin.

Hans Werne Henze

1 July, 2026

CM, Michael Tilson Thomas & Joshua Robison posing outside next to a car door

Michael Tilson Thomas

24 April, 2026

Upcoming Performances

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

6 November, 2026 - Five Songs (Sibelius/Matthews)
Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Pietari Inkinen (Conductor), Johanna Rusanen (Soprano)
Esplanade Concert Hall, Singapore

12 November, 2026 - Nicht zu Schnell (Mahler/Matthews)
Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Gustavo Gimeno (Conductor)
Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, Canada

14 November, 2026 - Nicht zu Schnell (Mahler/Matthews(
Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Gustavo Gimeno (Conductor)
Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, Canada

14 November, 2026 - La cathédrale engloutie / Ondine / La fille aux cheveux de lin / La Puerta del Vino (Debussy/Matthews)
Fulham Symphony Orchestra, Marc Dooley (Conductor)
Smith Square Hall, London

22 November, 2026 - Estrangement
Emmanuel Choir
Emmanuel Church, Baltimore

View all performances

Useful Links

Faber Music
NMC Recordings
The Holst Foundation

© 2026 Colin Matthews · Website by Bookswarm

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