Matthew White (countertenor)
Encyclopedia
Matthew White is a Canadian
countertenor
.
. He began singing as a treble
with St Matthew's Men and Boys Choir in Ottawa
and studied with Jan Simons
in Montreal
.
He has sung with Glyndebourne Festival Opera
, New York City Opera
, Houston Grand Opera
, Cleveland Opera
, and Opera Atelier
. On June 9, 2003, White sang the roles of Evanthes and Bacchus in the first performance in modern times of Johann Georg Conradi
’s 1691 opera Ariadne at the Boston Early Music Festival
. The studio recording with the same cast received a Grammy nomination for Best Opera Recording of 2005.
White is an active soloist in oratorio
and on the concert stage, where he specialises in Baroque music
. He has appeared at the Vancouver, Boston, and Utrecht Early Music Festivals and has sung with Tafelmusik
, Boston's Handel and Haydn Society
, Les Violons du Roy
, and Les Voix Humaines. In December 2010, he will sing in Handel's Messiah with Boston Baroque
, a leading period instrument ensemble under the direction of Martin Pearlman. He is also the musical director and soloist of Montreal's Les Voix Baroques ensemble with whom he tours extensively.
Matthew White has recorded for the Naxos
, Harmonia Mundi
and Analekta labels. His recording, Elegeia won a 2004 Cannes Classical Award for best new early music solo recording.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
countertenor
Countertenor
A countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
.
Career
Matthew White graduated in English Literature from McGill UniversityMcGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
. He began singing as a treble
Boy soprano
A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily...
with St Matthew's Men and Boys Choir in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and studied with Jan Simons
Jan Simons
Jan Simons was a Canadian baritone, and music teacher and administrator. Complementing a vocal performance career in Canada in the 1950s and 60s, he was a member of the faculty of music at McGill University in Montreal and a long-time teacher and general director at the summer musical camp,...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
He has sung with Glyndebourne Festival Opera
Glyndebourne Festival Opera
Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an English opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England.-History:...
, New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
, Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera was founded in 1955 through the joint efforts of Maestro Walter Herbert and cultural leaders Mrs. Louis G. Lobit, Edward Bing and Charles Cockrell...
, Cleveland Opera
Cleveland Opera
Opera Cleveland is Cleveland, Ohio's professional opera company, formed in 2006 following a merger between two existing opera companies: the Cleveland Opera , and the area's other professional opera company, Lyric Opera Cleveland.-Cleveland Opera:Cleveland Opera was incorporated by David...
, and Opera Atelier
Opera atelier
Opéra Atelier, a Canadian Baroque opera company was founded in 1985 in Toronto by husband and wife duo Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg. The company mounts operas from the 17th and 18th centuries which are presented at the Elgin Theatre....
. On June 9, 2003, White sang the roles of Evanthes and Bacchus in the first performance in modern times of Johann Georg Conradi
Johann Georg Conradi
Johann Georg Conradi was a German composer. He was, with Johann Theile, Nicolaus Adam Strungk, Johann Philipp Fortsch, Johann Wolfgang Franck and Johann Sigismund Kusser one of the main composers of the early Hamburg Opera....
’s 1691 opera Ariadne at the Boston Early Music Festival
Boston Early Music Festival
The Boston Early Music Festival is a music festival held every two years in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, for all people interested in historical music performance....
. The studio recording with the same cast received a Grammy nomination for Best Opera Recording of 2005.
White is an active soloist in oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
and on the concert stage, where he specialises in Baroque music
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
. He has appeared at the Vancouver, Boston, and Utrecht Early Music Festivals and has sung with Tafelmusik
Tafelmusik
The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra is a Canadian baroque orchestra specializing in early music. They often perform with choir and play on period instruments....
, Boston's Handel and Haydn Society
Handel and Haydn Society
The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1815, it remains one of the oldest performing arts organizations in the United States.-Early history:...
, Les Violons du Roy
Les Violons du Roy
Les Violons du Roy is a French-Canadian chamber orchestra based in Québec City, Québec. The orchestra's principal venue is the Palais Montcalm in Québec City. The orchestra also performs concerts in Montréal at the Place des Arts, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and St...
, and Les Voix Humaines. In December 2010, he will sing in Handel's Messiah with Boston Baroque
Boston Baroque
Boston Baroque is the oldest continuing period instrument orchestra in North America. It was founded in 1973 by the American harpsichordist and conductor, Martin Pearlman to present concerts of the Baroque and Classical repertoire on period instruments, drawing on the insights of the historical...
, a leading period instrument ensemble under the direction of Martin Pearlman. He is also the musical director and soloist of Montreal's Les Voix Baroques ensemble with whom he tours extensively.
Matthew White has recorded for the Naxos
Naxos Records
Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...
, Harmonia Mundi
Harmonia Mundi
Harmonia Mundi is an independent music record label founded in 1958 by Bernard Coutaz in Arles . The Latin phrase means "world harmony"....
and Analekta labels. His recording, Elegeia won a 2004 Cannes Classical Award for best new early music solo recording.
Selected recordings
- BachBạchBạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
: Mass in B Minor Dorothee MieldsDorothee MieldsDorothee Mields is a German soprano concert singer of Baroque and contemporary music.-Career:Mields was born in Gelsenkirchen. She studied at the University of the Arts Bremen with Elke Holzmann, Harry van der Kamp and Gabriele Schreckenbach...
(soprano); Johannette ZomerJohannette Zomer- Biography :Johannette Zomer studied voice at the Sweelinck Conservatory Amsterdam in Amsterdam with Charles van Tassel and received her Performance Diploma in 1997....
(soprano); Matthew White (alto); Charles DanielsCharles Daniels (tenor)Charles Daniels is an English tenor, particularly noted for his performances of baroque music. He is a frequent soloist with The King's Consort, and has made over 25 recordings with the ensemble on the Hyperion label.-Biography:...
(tenor); Peter Harvey; Netherlands Bach Society; Jos van VeldhovenJos van VeldhovenJos van Veldhoven is a Dutch choral conductor. He studied musicology at the Rijksuniversiteit of Utrecht, and choral and orchestral conducting at the Royal Conservatory, the Hague. He has been artistic director of De Nederlandse Bachvereniging since 1983...
conductor. (Channel Classics RecordsChannel Classics RecordsChannel Classics Records is a record label from the Netherlands, specializing in classical music. The managing director and producer is C. Jared Sacks, who grew up in Boston. Sacks was schooled as a professional horn player at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam...
25007) - Bach: Cantatas BWV 27, 84, 95, & 161 Dorothee Mields (soprano); Matthew White (alto); Hans Jörg Mammel (tenor); Thomas Bauer (bass); Collegium Vocale Gent; Philippe HerreweghePhilippe HerreweghePhilippe Herreweghe is a Flemish conductor.In his school years at the University of Ghent, Herreweghe combined studies in medical science and psychiatry with a musical education at the Ghent Conservatory, where Marcel Gazelle, Yehudi Menuhin's accompanist, was his piano teacher...
conductor. (Harmonia Mundi HMC 901969) - BuxtehudeDieterich BuxtehudeDieterich Buxtehude was a German-Danish organist and composer of the Baroque period. His organ works represent a central part of the standard organ repertoire and are frequently performed at recitals and in church services...
: Sacred Cantatas Matthew White (countertenor); Katherine Hill (soprano); Paul Grindlay (bass); Aradia Ensemble; Kevin Mallon conductor. (Naxos 8.557041) - Elegeia Works by J.S. Bach, Biber, J.C. Bach, Schmelzer, Simpson, Blow, Purcell, Holborne, Byrd, and Tallis. Matthew White (countertenor); Les Voix Baroques. (Analekta 9902)
- Johann Georg Conradi: Ariadne Karina Gauvin (Ariadne), Barbara Borden (Phaedra), Marek Rzepka (Minos), Matthew White (Evanthes & Bacchus), Ellen Hargis (Pasiphae & Venus), James TaylorJames Taylor (tenor)James Taylor is an American tenor, known for singing the Evangelist in works of Johann Sebastian Bach.- Biography :James Taylor grew up in Houston. He studied singing with Arden Hopkin at the Texas Christian University...
(Theseus), Julian Podger (Pirithous), Jan KobowJan KobowJan Kobow is a German classical tenor in concert, Lied and Baroque opera.-Professional career:Jan Kobow was born and raised in Berlin. He was a singer and soloist of the Staats- und Domchor, Berlin with Christian Grube. He studied the organ at the Schola Cantorum in Paris and graduated in church...
(Pamphilius); Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra and Chorus; Paul O'DettePaul O'DettePaul R. O'Dette is an American lutenist, conductor, and music researcher specializing in early music.O'Dette began playing classical guitar, and while in high school also played electric guitar in a rock band in Columbus, Ohio, where he grew up...
and Stephen Stubbs, conductors. (CPO 777073-2)