Matthew Paris

Matthew started studying the double bass at the age of 7 and 18 months later won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music Primary Department. In 2010 he won the ABRSM scholarship to continue his studies at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department, a Music scholarship to Chigwell School and a year later he won a place to study at the Purcell School For Young Musicians.

Matthew was invited to join the National Children’s String Sinfonia at the age of 8 and joined the Barbican Young Orchestra, conducted by Sir Colin Davis at the age of 10. In 2010 he was invited to perform at LSO St Lukes as a soloist with senior double bass students from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and was also selected to appear in a project with the BYO, GSMD and Los Angeles Philharmonic at LSO St Lukes, with the conductor Gustavo Dudamel.

In 2012 he became a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and was the only British Finalist to appear on the “To be encouraged” list for the European Union Youth Orchestra for the 2014/15 season.

He has won a number of prizes on the double bass including; The Millenium Competition at the Stratford and East London Festival; The Lower String Prize at the Royal Academy of Music, adjudicated by Dominic Seldes; The Essex Young Musician of the year 2012 - The John Lill Awards and Recipient of The Marie Korf Memorial Prize (this competition is open to singers and instrumentalists up to the age of 25) and The Edna Head Award for Young Musicians.

In 2015 he was awarded a scholarship to study full-time at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Rinat Ibragimov (Principal Double Bass with the London Symphony Orchestra) and Luis Cabrera and in the same year made his concerto debut with The London International Orchestra.

He has also been invited to perform in Sardinia as part of the Culture Festival in August 2016.

Matthew plays on an un-named French Chamber Bass, circa. 1890, kindly lent to him by Rinat Ibragimov.

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