Matthew Long
Biography Matthew Long
Matthew Long
29-year-old tenor Matthew Long gained his first professional experience singing in Italy’s opera houses as a boy treble. He was sought after as a soloist during this time, particularly for the music of Benjamin Britten and sang the role of ‘Miles’ in Britten’s opera The Turn of the Screw for productions at Teatro Reggio di Torino (1995), Teatro Comunale di Bologna (1996) and Teatro di Roma (1997). Success on the opera stage at a young age instilled in him a passion and ambition for singing that has gone on to shape his future.
Long studied music at the University of York and sang in the Choir of York Minster. After leaving university, he built a career in London as a consort singer, working with many of the professional ensembles based in the UK and further afield. During his early twenties he has been a member of the celebrated chamber choirs, The Sixteen and Tenebrae and also of the solo voice ensemble I Fagiolini. Projects with these groups and others have taken him all over the world.
In 2011, he won a scholarship to study for a masters in Vocal Performance at the Royal College of Music, London. Whilst at the RCM, he was a Susan Chilcott Scholar and a Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist.
Matthew Long has appeared as a soloist with many UK based ensembles, including The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The English Concert, The Hanover Band, The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He made his operatic debut in 2008, creating the role of Michael in Tod Machover’s opera, Skellig, with Northern Sinfonia at The Sage, Gateshead. Recent highlights have included Britten, War Requiem for Jonathan Willcocks in Salisbury Cathedral; Monteverdi, 1610 Vespers, at the Royal Albert Hall for the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain; a recording of David Matthews’ Vespers, with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and The Bach Choir with David Hill and the premiere performance of David Goode’s, Blitz requiem, at St Paul’s Cathedral, London with The Bach Choir. In February 2011 he worked at Dijon Opera in a production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. He sang the role of Jupiter in Handel’s Semele in June 2012 for the first ever performance of a Handel opera in Kuwait with the Ahmadi Music Group. He made his debut singing the Evangelist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in Kristiansund, Norway in November 2011. In July 2012 Matthew made his Wigmore Hall debut as a soloist singing Tancredi in Monteverdi’s Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda for Harry Bicket with The English Concert.
Future plans include his US solo debut in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion for the Boston Handel and Haydn Society, an Australian tour with I Fagiolini this summer and a performance of the title role in Monteverdi’s Orfeo, in Venice this November.
Matthew lives in London with his wife and cat, Florence! When not singing he is a keen follower and supporter of wildlife conservation.
