Matthew is a composer, performer and organiser working in acoustic and electronic sound, text, video, performance and interdisciplinary settings
"...contemporary music that recognised no boundaries whatsoever." - Keith Bruce, The Herald.
NEWS & UPDATES
2024 performances of 'A very exciting product launch'
August 26th, 2024
A very exciting product launch (for 5 players, audience participation and electronics) will receive two performances in Denmark in the autumn of 2024. The first (September 25th) will be played by Aarhus Sinfonietta at Institut for X, Aarhus. The second (November 16th) will be played by Athelas Sinfonietta at Alice, Copenhagen.
UPDATE: The Athelas Sinfonietta gig has been postponed indefinitely
DR P2 Radio Broadcast | Calls to this number are being diverted
April 6th, 2024
As part of Danish Radio's 'Debutkoncert' series, on their channel 'P2', Rie Koch interviews Matthew about his recent music-theatre work Calls to this number are being diverted. (The interview is held in Danish and English) - The programme ends with a handful of excerpts from the final performance of the premiere run that took place in Aarhus, February 2024. The broadcast is now available on-demand on DR LYD (click here)
COLD CALLS - Album release on Don't Look Back Records
February 12th, 2024
Here comes a new release on Don't Look Back Records!
COLD CALLS is a supplementary collection of short pieces connected to Matthew Grouse’s music-theatre work ‘Calls to this number are being diverted’. Each of these short pieces were first conceived as mono files to be transmitted over the phone to signed up members of the public.
Pre-order and RSVP for the listening party here!
Listening party: 15.02.2024 CET 20:00
Album release: 23.02.2024
Seismograf feature
January 19th, 2024
Henrik Marstal at Seismograf has written an extensive feature on Matthew's upcoming work CALLS TO THIS NUMBER ARE BEING DIVERTED.
Read the article here!
Calls to this number are being diverted - announcement
November 20th, 2023
Matthew's evening-length music-theatre work set in an absurd call centre will be performed 3 times in February 2024 (2nd-4th at Teater Refleksion, Aarhus). Produced by Aarhus Unge Tonekunstnere, the work involves a fantastic cast of musicians. Soloists: Andreas Borregaard (accordion and voice) & Anna Jalving (violin and voice) - Ensemble members: Joss Smith, Kirstine-Elise Pedersen and Hsiao Tung Yuan.
Generous support for the project comes from: William Demant Fonden, Det Obelske Familiefond, Augustinus Fonden, Dansk Komponistforening, Koda Kultur, Statens Kunstfond, CAC Fonden, Knud Højgaards Fonden, Aarhus Kommune (Musikpulje).
More details coming soon!
Ivor Novello Award Nomination for Silberblau
October 18th, 2023
'Silberblau' for solo guitar and electronics has been nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in the 'Best Small Chamber Composition' category. Other nominated composers in the category include Philip Venables, Larry Goves, Josephine Stephenson and Newton Armstrong. Read more HERE
Silberblau was commissioned by Sasha Savaloni in 2020.
Scottish Awards for New Music 2023 Shortlist
August 9th, 2023
'Silberblau' for solo guitar and electronics has been shortlisted for a SAFNM in the category: The Dorico Award for Small-scale Work, sponsored by Steinberg. Other nominated composers in the category include David Fennessy, Ruth Morley and 'Turning the Elements'. Read more HERE
Silberblau was commissioned by Sasha Savaloni in 2020.
Make Sound Residency at Inter Arts Center (Malmö)
June 13th, 2023
In collaboration with EKKI MINNA (Jónas Ásgeir Ásgeirsson and Andrew Power), Matthew has been selected for a residency at Inter Arts Center in Malmö (selected by Dansk komponistforening and IAC). The trio will develop their collaborative work 'We're Pleased To Meet Us', which will be premiered in mid-2024.
Silberblau selected for FMS2022 (Score Follower)
December 17th, 2022
Silberblau, performed here by Sasha Savaloni and mixed by Timothy Cooper was selected for Score Follower's open call, and has now been uploaded to the Score Follower YouTube channel.
CLICK HERE to watch!
New work for ensemble mosaik
September 1st, 2022
A very exciting product launch (for oboe, clarinet, string trio, interactive video, audience participation and electronics) premieres 30.09.22 at 20.00 (Kammermusiksalen, Aarhus Musikhuset)
ctrl+Y selected for FMS2021 (Score Follower)
March 12th, 2022
ctrl+Y, first performed by Curious Chamber Players was selected for Score Follower's open call, and has now been uploaded to the incipitsify YouTube channel.
CLICK HERE to watch!
NYE VEJE - Dansk Komponist Forening Working Grant
December 22nd, 2021
Matthew is enormously grateful to be one of four recipients of the NYE VEJE scholarship, which is aimed at supporting a lengthy artistic process.
About his work, the committee said (roughly translated from Danish):
Matthew Grouse's music is bursting with inner life and technical surplus. With a sharp analytical and perhaps satirical outlook, he introduces everyday technologies, google-searches read aloud and banal actions placed on an equal footing with traditional instruments, in works that manage to engage and retain the listener. Through the desire to reach even closer to his audience, among others, by creating more installation-based and audience-participatory works, Matthew Grouse has embarked on a fruitful development of his art.
Read more about the grant here
ctrl+Y selected for Ung Nordisk Musik Iceland 2022
September 24, 2021
ctrl+Y [2021] for four performers and live electronics, originally written for Curious Chamber Players, has been selected as one of four works that will represent Denmark in the 2022 edition of Ung Nordisk Musik Festival, which is set to take place in Reykjavík.
Riot Ensemble and hcmf// Zeitgeist commissions
June 30, 2020
LEFT RIGHT, LEFT RIGHT is now available to stream:
Matthew is one of 6 composers to receive a Zeitgeist Commission in partnership with Riot Ensemble and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. He will be collaborating with Sam Wilson on a new work for percussion, live electronics and video. Find out more about the project at the following link:
https://hcmf.co.uk/hcmf-and-the-riot-ensemble-announce-new-zeitgeist-commissions/
Daily Rituals released on The Night With ... Live Vol. One
March 06, 2020
A live recording of Matthew's 'Daily Rituals', performed by the Hermes Experiment has been released amongst other pieces from The Night With's 2019 season. The album is available to buy through
http://tnwmusic.com/ and on all major streaming platforms.
Track listing (disc 2):
18. Daily Rituals - I. Autopilot (excerpt from letter F)
19.Daily Rituals - II. Verisimilitude
20.Daily Rituals - III. and what do you do after that?
CONTACT premieres at Cryptic Nights 2020
January 06, 2020
Matthew and Andy Sowerby's third collaboration, CONTACT will be premiered at Glasgow's Contemporary Centre of Arts as part of Cryptic Nights 2020. The event will be on the 26th March and will be preceded by screenings of two earlier audiovisual works by the pair, 'Scratch' and 'Eye of the Storm'. CONTACT is an interactive AV show that foregrounds the touch sense and makes use of multi-channel projections; custom-built tactile electronic instruments; prepared, electronically processed violin (performed by Harry Gorski-Brown); audio-reactive video; and at times, music being felt through vibration motors rather than heard.
Concerts and talks in Mexico
August 11, 2019
Matthew is incredibly grateful to have been invited to travel to Mexico for 2 weeks at the end of September, courtesy of CMMAS www.cmmas.org & Cryptic Glasgow as part of SHUM, a 3 year collaboration program for artistic exchange between Anglo Arts, British Council, CMMAS and Cryptic.
The world premiere of his solo clarinet piece 'Apertures' will be given by Fernando Domínguez, member of Onix Ensemble @ the 15th anniversary of Visiones Sonoras Festival in Morelia. Matthew will also be presenting some talks on his music at the festival's conference and at ENES of UNAM Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
As a concert extension of the Visiones Sonoras Festival, Matthew will end the trip by performing some of his electronic & audiovisual work at Ex Teresa Arte Actual in Mexico City alongside Alex Menzies who will present his beautiful piece 'So Below'.