Matthew van Emmerik

Born in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia in 1978, Matthew van Emmerik started playing at age seven. He is the former principal euphonium player with the Central Band of the Royal Air Force based in London, United Kingdom and all Royal Australian Navy Bands.

Matthew has held high profile recording and principal/section positions on euphonium, tuba and bass trumpet with the world’s leading bands and orchestras including: Black Dyke, Foden's, Leyland, Desford Colliery, Brighouse and Rastrick, Cory, Dalewool (NZ), Woolston (NZ), Victoria Brass, National Band of Australia and the Fountain City Band (USA), Australian Pop’s Orchestra, Melbourne Opera, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, Melbourne Symphony, Sydney Symphony, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, the Malaysian Philharmonic, the Oporto National Orchestra – Portugal, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Singapore Symphony and the Louisville Orchestra (USA).

In 2007 Matthew was awarded the coveted Champion of Champions title at the National Brass Band Championships, and in 2011 became only the second Australian in history to win the Open Euphonium Championship at the New Zealand Brass Band Championships. Matthew has adjudicated contests and festivals all across Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Europe. He has conducted many high-level wind and brass bands in Australia and overseas, including steering the Melbourne-based Box Hill City Band’s resurgence back to the A Grade (Championship Section) status, including recording a highly successful CD release with them entitled ‘125 Years’, which is on the Potenza Music label (USA).

Matthew completed his PhD studies and graduated as a Doctor of Music from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and University of Sydney in 2011. He has recorded four commercially available CDs: ‘Neath Austral Skies, ‘Utaki – The Sacred Grove’, ‘Homeland’, featuring repertoire commissioned and composed specifically for him. Matthew’s latest research CD project; ‘Preserving Code’, included recording and compiling all of the 11 solos by famed Australian composer, conductor and instrumentalist, Percy Code, for the first time in history and was released on the Potenza Music label. ‘Utaki’ and ‘Preserving Code’ received the coveted ‘CD of the Month’ Award in the Brass Band World Magazine (UK) and the latter was also a finalist for the ‘Solo CD of the Year’ Award in the same magazine. He is the most recorded euphonium soloist in Australasia.

Since 2006, Matthew has been the euphonium, tuba, low brass professor and ensemble conductor at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music, Monash University. Matthew also held the same position at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, The University of Melbourne until 2016. Matthew has held full-time positions as Director of Bands, Director of Music and Head of Music positions both in the USA and Australia.

In December 2016 Matthew performed with the world renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass section at the opening concert of the Midwest Conference at Symphony Center, Chicago.

Matthew is proud to be a Shires and Eastman Musical Instrument Company Brass Artist and Clinician and an endorsee of Reunion Blues gig bags. He uses his own VAN EMMERIK signature mouthpiece range when performing.

To keep up with Matthew’s activities feel free to follow him at his website and professional facebook page:
www.matthewvanemmerik.com
https://web.facebook.com/DrMatthewVanEmmerik