Matthew, the conductor

Born in Geneva in the late 1970s into a family of mixed British and Ghanaian heritage, conductor Matthew Kofi Waldren has become one of the UK’s leading classical musicians. His energetic, collaborative yet detailed approach to musical leadership has led to trusted and creative partnerships with the UK’s finest orchestras, opera houses and conservatories.

As co-founder of Your Turn Collective he is known as a passionate advocate for widening access in classical music - for audiences, participants and potential professionals - whilst as a member of the City of London Sinfonia Artists Council he is at the forefront of helping to shape and define the identity, mission, and output of an orchestra in the 21st century.

Recent and forthcoming invitations include conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Chineke! Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of English National Opera, Orchestra of Opera North, Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, Orchestra of Scottish Opera, London Mozart Players, City of London Sinfonia, and Sinfonia Viva in addition to working with student conductors, orchestras and singers at Royal Northern College of Music and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Matthew, and opera

Over 30 years ago, as a state-educated teenager, Matthew saw his first opera and instantly became hooked on the genre. He spent the first decade of his professional life working as an opera singer before a move into chorus directorship and, subsequently, conducting. With this all-encompassing appreciation of the form as the foundation for his work, Matthew now conducts a broad range of repertoire in theatres, concert halls, music halls, recording studios, and outdoors settings. Delivering performances of the highest calibre, Matthew is renowned for his flair with the great Italian core works, particularly those of Verdi and Puccini. In recognition of this, in 2024, the BBCCO asked Matthew to curate a programme to celebrate Puccini’s centenary for Radio 3’s Friday Night is Music Night.

Matthew conducts for English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, Opera North, Royal Opera House Linbury Studio Theatre, Opera Holland Park, West Green House Opera, Chelsea Opera Group, RCS Opera and RNCM Opera.

Recent and forthcoming repertoire includes Ainadamar, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Blue, Die Zauberflöte, Don Carlos, Don Giovanni, Fantastic Mr Fox, Flight, Gianni Schicchi, I due Foscari, Il barbiere di Siviglia, L’elisir d’amore, La bohème, La cenerentola, La rondine, La traviata, Lakmé, Le nozze di Figaro, Les mamelles de Tirésias, Les pêcheurs de perles, Migrations, Paul Bunyan, Pelléas et Mélisande, Rigoletto, The Snowmaiden, Tosca, Un ballo in maschera, Yeomen of the Guard, Zanetto.

Matthew was nominated at the International Opera Awards in 2017 and two ENO productions he conducted - Blue and Paul Bunyan - were nominated at the Olivier Awards (2024 and 2019) with Blue also nominated for Best Opera at the Black British Theatre Awards (2023).

Matthew, new works, unheard stories, reimaginings and alternative spaces

In a rapidly-evolving industry, Matthew champions new and unheard stories, historically-neglected composers, family operas, re-imaginings of core repertoire, cross-genre works, and opera in alternative spaces.

With ENO, he conducted the British premiere of Tesori’s Blue (2023) at the London Coliseum and Britten’s Paul Bunyan (2018) at Wilton’s Music Hall. Blue tells the story of a black couple living in Harlem whose world is shattered by the racist murder of their activist son by a white police officer. Paul Bunyan immersed the audience in the sound of the ENO musical forces which were placed throughout the auditorium.

For WNO, Matthew conducted the world premiere of Todd’s Migrations (2022) and the Welsh premiere of Golijov’s Ainadamar (2023). Migrations tells six narratives of inward and external migration across centuries and species, expanding WNO’s core orchestral and choral forces with sitar, tabla, guitar, harpsichord and a cast of over 100 professional and amateur musicians - including the Renewal Gospel Community Choir, a Bollywood music theatre ensemble, and a children’s chorus. He collaborated closely with sitarist and composer Jasdeep Singh Degun on the Indian classical music section of the piece, and they continue to work together today. Meanwhile, Ainadamar poetically contemplates the final days and death of Garcia Lorca by blending an amplified digital soundscape with flamenco guitars, cahon, palmas, classical orchestra and opera singers.

For Opera North, Matthew adapted the score, and conducted the sound track, to the animation La petite bohème (2020) in which the role of Musetta was reimagined as Musetto - La bohème‘s first ever gay coupling. With Opera North’s Resonance programme (2020), Matthew collaborated with Neo-Soul singer Tawiah to produce an opening track to her album inspired by both Evangelical music and Renaissance polyphony. The Pearl Fishers (2023) explored the possibilities and challenges of staging a de-colonised production of a19th century Orientalist opera.

For Opera Holland Park, between 2011 and 2017, Matthew conducted around 100 outdoor performances of the promenade family operas Fantastic Mr Fox and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. He toured these productions to Harvest, Bestival, and Wilderness festivals, and conducted the Royal Opera House Linbury Theatre production of Alice in addition to recording the opera on Signum Records.

With Chineke! Orchestra, at Royal Festival Hall, Matthew conducted William Grant Still’s Symphony No.1 “Afro-American” alongside the English premiere of Florence Price’s Symphony No.3. With Chineke! and Onyx Brass he recorded Tom Hickox’s album, The Orchestra of Stories. In January 2025, he conducts Chineke! in a concert which programmes all the works commissioned by the Foundation over the past decade.

With London Philharmonic Orchestra and violinist Braimah Kanneh-Mason, he conducted the concert-theatre production of The Chevalier, which introduced audiences to the music of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint Georges, through the story of his encounter with Mozart in Paris.

Matthew, and music for everyone

Firmly believing in music’s power to joyfully bring people together, and in the right of everyone to be able access music, Matthew was proud to conduct the UK’s first ever Relaxed operatic performance in 2015. He conducts Come and Sing! events with amateur participants and the City of London Sinfonia, and has led many Minute Maestro workshops, at which participants have the opportunity to conduct a professional orchestra. He was proud to work with Renewal Gospel Choir to bring their spirit and sound to the main stage of an international opera house, and has also conducted the ROH Community Chorus.

Matthew, and nurturing future talent

Matthew benefitted from career progression schemes - OHP Christine Collins Young Artists (2012) and ENO Mackerras Fellowship (2016-18) - and is now dedicated to developing future talent. He regularly conducts operas at UK music colleges, training the students for careers in the industry, alongside conducting youth orchestras such Chineke! Junior Orchestra. In addition, he has mentored singers, repetiteurs and conductors participating in the Opera Holland Park Young Artists scheme. For Opera North, he was a jury member for their open entry composition competition, Minute Masterpieces.

Matthew’s conducting journey did not follow a traditional route, and he recognises the challenges facing aspiring music creators - particularly those from backgrounds historically underrepresented in classical music. In 2021, with Elizabeth Llewellyn and Matthew Swann, he co-founded Your Turn Collective; this R&D charity aims to disrupt the commissioning model by partnering music creators from underrepresented backgrounds with arts organisations, as well as community and health institutions, to develop and produce their work on their own terms. In his time with YTC, Matthew has cultivated relationships with funding bodies, arts institutions, and stakeholders who support change in classical music.

Matthew in the media

As a passionate advocate for the value of classical music in people’s lives, Matthew is in demand as a speaker and media contributor. He contributed to the University of Leeds Sadler Seminar Series on Race, Authenticity and Ethics in Opera, to the Guardian newspaper’s feature Ten Ways to Save Classical Music, and has been interviewed by Bachtrack, Notes from the Podium and Classical Music Magazine. He has contributed to many classical music podcasts, Sky Arts, BBC Radio London with Jumoke Fashola, BBC Radio 3 In Tune and Friday Night is Music Night, BBC Radio 4 Front Row, and BBC Radio 5Live.

Matthew beyond music

Away from music, Matthew is a keen amateur gardener who attempts to grow both ornamentals and vegetables! He is passionate about nature, biodiversity and walking. He lives in London with his beloved wife and their cats.

For Matthew’s official biography, please refer to Musichall Ltd.