Matthew Rowan

Matthew Rowan (1979, Northern Ireland, UK) studied composition with Brian Irvine and Greg Caffrey at South Eastern Regional College on the National Diploma in Popular Music course. He then moved to Newcastle upon Tyne and enrolled at Newcastle College where he completed a Higher National Diploma in Music Production under Martin McAloon (Prefab Sprout). The natural progression on to the BMus in Popular and Contemporary Music at Newcastle University placed him in the care of composers Agustín Fernández and Bennett Hogg who guided Matthew through a Master’s degree, and then a PhD in Contemporary Composition which was examined by David Clarke and Peter Wiegold (2009). In addition to submitting a winning entry to the 2012 John Armitage Memorial Call for Music, Matthew’s works have been performed throughout the UK and Europe, most notably by: duoDorT, Christoph Jäggin, William Lane, Loré Lixenberg, Momenta Quartet, Mr. McFall’s Chamber, Northern Sinfonia, Onyx Brass, and Taylor Wilson. Matthew collaborated with award-winning novelist Andrew Crumey resulting in a composition for voice (mezzo-soprano), piano and string quintet, and he also collaborated with musicologist Paul Attinello on a composition for voice (baritone) and piano trio, based on a selection of Attinello’s poetry. To complement his work as a composer, Matthew teaches composition at Newcastle University (UK) and was music studies editor for the inaugural issue of online journal e-pisteme.

For further information, please visit Matthew’s official website: www.matthew-rowan.com