Matthew Kitteringham

Matthew Kitteringham began his musical career at age 7, when he began to learn the flute and quickly developed a deep passion for music, playing in school and county level ensembles wherever possible. The flute remained his main instrument until age 15, during which time he played with various ensembles, most notably the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (LPYO) as principal flute, and passed ABRSM Grade 8 with distinction. At 15, Matthew took up the bassoon, under the tutelage of Laurence Perkins, and within a year he was accepted into the Junior Royal Northern College of Music (JRNCM). During this time he passed ABRSM Grade 8 Bassoon with distinction and won several awards, including first prize in the Charles Scarrat Award for young musicians, the Sylvia Swiffin Trust Award for Outstanding progress at JRNCM, and the John Ellis Memorial Prize for musical excellence at JRNCM. Matthew also held the positions of principal bassoon in the National Youth Wind Ensemble, and principal bassoon in LPYO. Matthew has also performed with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYOGB), playing in many of the UK’s major concert venues including Leeds Town Hall, Sage Gateshead, Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Barbican Hall, and The Royal Albert Hall, under esteemed conductors John Wilson, Ilan Volkov, and Sir Mark Elder. As well as making his debut BBC Prom’s appearance with NYOGB in 2015, Matthew also made his first international performance with the orchestra at the Young Euro Classic festival in Berlin’s Konzerthaus. Matthew is currently studying bassoon with Robin O’Neill as an undergraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music, where he is the recipient of the Bundy Award. Alongside this, he has developed a growing interest in composition and his piece Dithyramb was highly commended by the judges in the 2014 BBC Proms Inspire Young Composers Competition.