Renowned singer and conductor Matthew Best awarded Fellowship of the RNCM

Acclaimed singer and conductor Matthew Best has been awarded Fellowship of the Royal Northern College of Music in acknowledgement of his remarkable career at the highest international level – one that has spanned nearly five decades.

The award was presented to Matthew, who joined the conservatoire in Autumn 2015 as a Principal Study Tutor, by Head of Vocal Studies and Opera, Professor Lynne Dawson, who said: ‘Matthew is an exceptional and inspirational teacher, now with a host of successful young singer students making headway into the profession. Always one with a wicked sense of humour, he reports that his agent liked to claim that he was his only artist ever to be made into a fridge magnet! The RNCM has been hugely fortunate to have a teacher and musician of Matthew’s calibre and integrity on our staff, and we wish him the very best in the future.’

Matthew founded the Corydon Singers in 1973, then just 16-years old, and studied as a choral scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, and at the National Opera Studio. He made his professional debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as a company bass in 1980, and since then has performed nearly 100 operatic roles and in over 100 cities worldwide. He was most notably cast as Wotan, Kurwenal, Amfortas, Scarpia, and Commendatore.

As a young singer, Matthew was hugely fortunate to share the stage with, and learn from, some of the greatest and most inspirational singers of the previous generation, including Vickers, Bruson, Cappucilli, Domingo, Balsa, Scotto, Bumbry, Baker, Ricciarelli, Popp, and Verrett. His own highly regarded singing teachers were Patrick McGuigan and Otakar Kraus, and musicians whom he found equally and especially inspirational included Ghiaurov, Siepi, Hotter, Barbirolli, Gardiner, Davis, Bernstein, and Haitink.

During his career, Matthew worked in a wide variety of repertoire and period styles. He would often be conducting Monteverdi Vespers and Bach Matthew Passion while rehearsing Strauss and Wagner operatic roles. As Founder and Artistic Director of Corydon Singers, he established one of Britain’s foremost choirs, made more than 30 recordings, and later established the Corydon Orchestra in 1990. He has been a frequent guest conductor, particularly with the English Chamber Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, London Mozart Players, and the Hanover Band. Perhaps lesser known, Matthew is also a composer and had his first Opera, Alice, performed in the Aldeburgh Festival in 1979, directed by Nicholas Hytner, with a guest appearance by Sir Peter Pears.

23 April 2025