Matt Ward

Matt Ward is a British jazz, classical, and pop trumpet player based in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Recent appearances across the UK include performances at Pizza Express Live (Holborn and Chelsea venues), Luton's The Bear Club, the Troubadour, The Ned, as well as featuring in the country’s premier Miles Davis tribute, Kind of Blue LIVE. Matt performs regularly around Hertfordshire with a number of small group set-ups; performances over the past year have included Welwyn’s ‘Jazz at the Barn’ series, Hitchin’s The Highlander pub with the Jazzspel quintet, Biggleswade’s ‘Not Strictly Jazz Club’, Berkhamsted Jazz, the Kings Langley Jazz Club, and Sawbridgeworth’s The Gallery. Matt has also appeared as a featured guest at the Hitchin jazz jam and performs for functions with bands such Supertonic, Roadrunner, Hot Take Brass Band, and No Limit Street Band. Matt’s pop work includes performances with up-and-coming London-based artists, such as neo-soul collective The 52s, funk-pop musician Adam Kelly, and singer-rapper duo Josh Seabrook & Con Cook. Matt’s playing can also be heard on radio and TV as part of the Delicious Recording Studio’s Deli All Stars. He also partakes in larger-scale jazz work, in particular with the Hertfordshire Big Band who he is the Musical Director of, and the Twenty20 Big Band, in addition to many local musical theatre productions. Matt is a first-class Music graduate of the University of Oxford, and prior to this gained experience playing in some of the finest youth ensembles during his time at the Junior Department at Guildhall School of Music, NYMT, NYWO, and the LSO Next Generation Orchestra. During his time at Oxford Matt held the jazz chair in the Oxford University Jazz Orchestra, and was principal trumpet of Oxford University Orchestra, Oxford Brass Quintet, and funk band DFO. He has played at numerous famous venues and events, such as the London Olympics Opening Ceremony, Oxford's Encaenia Ceremony, the Barbican, the Royal Festival Hall, and overseas venues such as the Budapest Jazz Club and Thailand’s Brown Sugar jazz club. Matt is available to book for a variety of trumpeting needs - orchestral work, big bands, small jazz gigs, fanfares for ceremonies, and funk bands for party and function work.