MATTHEW PALMER
BARITONE
Matthew studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under Robert Dean. He performs in opera and concert around the UK and abroad and has sung live on BBC Radio 3's In Tune. Since leaving the Guildhall School in 2015 Matthew has made his European debut as Guglielmo at the Brigitta Festival, Estonia and has worked for some of the UK's leading opera companies, including Opera North (Billy Budd & Andrea Chénier); Garsington Opera as an Alvarez Young Artist (L'Italiana in Algeri); Grange Park Opera cover Abimélech (Samson et Dalila) and cover Ancindoro/Benoit (La Bohème); Glyndebourne Education as Adonis (Venus and Adonis); and The National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company singing Carpnter (HMS Pinafore) and cover Pooh-Bah (Mikado) and cover Colonel (Patience).
Matthew worked closely with Iain Burnside in creating his music-drama 'Why does the Queen die?' both in it's première as Moritz von Schwind at the Oxford Lieder Festival and in it's revival as Joseph von Spaun at Milton Court. He has also sung a recital of war songs at LSO St. Luke's and was Baritone soloist for a New Years Day Viennese Gala recital at St. Martin-in-the-Fields with the Concordia Foundation.
In masterclasses has worked with Graham Johnson on sections of Wintereise in a live broadcast and also with Malcolm Martineau on the Heine settings of Schwanengesang. Other artists he has worked with in masterclasses are Brindley Sherratt, Ann Murray, Emma Kirkby, Jonathan Papp and Chen Reiss.
Matthew's other opera highlights include, Lorenzo (I Capuleti e I Montecchi), Pop-Up Opera; cover Darlemont (I pazzi per progetto), cover Cooper (The Cooper), cover Owl Doctor (Pinocchio), for Guildhall School Opera Course; Demetrius (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Schaunard (La Bohème) and Angelotti (Tosca), for Opera on Location; Marullo (Rigoletto), Morales/Zuniga (Carmen), Marchese (La Traviata), for Heritage Opera; Gil (Susanna's Secret), Steel Opera.
A regular on the concert and oratorio platforms, Matthew has performed as soloist in much of the standard repertoire including Messiah, Händel with the Eighteenth Century Concert Orchestra; St. Matthew Passion, Bach with National Festival Orchestra; Five Mystical Songs, Vaughan-Williams with Sheffield University Symphony Orchestra and Choir. As well as Ein Deutches Requiem, Brahms; The Seasons, Haydn; Nelson Mass, Haydn; Crucifixion, Stainer; Requiem, Mozart; Requiem, Fauré; Coronation Mass, Mozart; Messa di Gloria, Pucini; Passio, Pärt and others varying from new commissions to Bach Cantatas.
Future highlights include The Snowmaiden with Opera North; Fiorello and cover Figaro (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Iford Festival Opera; Ned Keene (Peter Grimes), Dartington Advanced Opera Course.