Matthew Schellhorn, pianist

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music, and who or what have been the most important influences on your musical life and career?

One of my earliest memories of the piano is of seeing it played during school assembly. The teacher kindly told my parents that I appeared fascinated by the instrument – perhaps by the way I watched, perhaps by the questions I asked – and suggested it might be a good idea to consider engaging a teacher. At six, when we found one, I would apparently remain on the stool after lessons to keep playing, a sign of a deep-seated motivation to enjoy making music and to engage with the instrument. I believe the original impetus was the instrument itself.

Alongside that, there have been many people to whom I owe a great deal – first and foremost my family, particularly my father and grandfather, who listened so enthusiastically and encouraged me as a child. I also had some hugely inspiring teachers: David Hartigan (a pupil of Walter Klien), who carefully developed my technique and tone in my teenage years; Peter Hill (a pupil of Cyril Smith and Nadia Boulanger), who gently guided me in interpretation and helped rebuild my self-esteem; Maria Curcio (a pupil of Artur Schnabel), who instilled the importance of pedagogical tradition; and Yvonne Loriod (Olivier Messiaen’s wife and dedicatee), who was both enlightening and encouraging when I visited her for lessons in Paris in my twenties.

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

There have been times – after losing my parents, or while recovering from a serious spinal injury – when it was hard to stay focused on enjoying music. Yet those experiences reminded me how vital that sense of enjoyment is if one is to grow artistically.

Which performances/recordings are you most proud of?

All performances are special in their own way, though I recall several with particular vividness: my first major solo recital – Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus (1944) at West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge, in 1997; an all-Messiaen recital at the Purcell Room in 2006; my Wigmore Hall debut in 2008, which included Mozart and Chopin alongside the world première of part of Ian Wilson’s Stations (2006–07), an extraordinary 70-minute cycle written for me, later recorded on Diatribe Records as my first solo release; concertos such as Scriabin, ‘Rach Pag’, and ‘Rach 2’; and the extraordinary experience of performing Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie (1946–48) on several occasions.

Ultimately, my proudest performances are the ones that make me – and the audience, ideally both – happy. I love when listeners approach me afterwards with insightful comments about interpretation.

It’s also hugely rewarding to have given nearly 100 world premières and to have commissioned nearly 30 new works, each of which is special to me. I see it as part of my role to serve composers by sharing their music and striving to represent their ideas faithfully.

And I’ve been fortunate to release 14 albums to date. I really enjoy recording.

Tell us more about your new album Odd Sympathies.

Released on First Hand Records in October 2025, the album features several works by living composers, most of them written for me.

It includes my first large-scale commission, by Jeremy Thurlow (b. 1967), alongside two beautiful, religiously inclined works by Martin Bussey (b. 1958) and Diana Burrell (b. 1948).

There are two homage sets: a multi-composer tribute to Haydn – with contributions from Tim Watts (b. 1979), Colin Riley (b. 1963), Cecilia McDowall (b. 1951), Cheryl Frances-Hoad (b. 1980), Michael Zev Gordon (b. 1963), and Jeremy Thurlow – and a celebration of Scott Joplin (1868–1917), the ‘King of Ragtime’, by Colin Riley.

The programme also includes an experimental, open-form piece by Robert Percy (b. 1952), together with three favourite works not written for me, by Paul Spicer (b. 1952) and the American composer Roger Briggs (b. 1952).

Which particular works/composers do you think you perform best?

I am known particularly for contemporary music, and it’s true that I love bringing new pieces to a wider audience. But I also love playing established repertoire, including Chopin, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Ravel, Berg, and Messiaen. The fact that my Howells albums on Naxos entered the charts and received such positive reviews was deeply gratifying.

As an aside, I don’t really have favourite composers or pieces – which makes it hard to answer the question I’m most often asked! To listen to, I love historic recordings, particularly of piano and orchestral music from the Golden Age of the gramophone.

What do you do off stage that provides inspiration on stage?

Away from my work, I tend to pursue things quite unrelated to music. I love reading – especially history and politics – and I enjoy studying languages (I’m working on my Latin at the moment). I’m also an avid genealogist, and have delved into my Norwegian and Central European paternal lines as well as the deeply rooted Yorkshire ancestry on both sides of my family. I also enjoy voluntary work in various forms, such as social projects and fundraising.

How do you make your repertoire choices from season to season?

I usually have several plates spinning at once, and there is often a new piece waiting to be premièred. I almost always mix old and new repertoire in my concerts. I’m not a fan of anniversary themes – at least not for their own sake. I often identify two or three new works I want to learn and then build a programme around them.

Do you have a favourite concert venue to perform in and why?

The ones with appreciative audiences! Concert halls matter, of course, but more important is the piano itself. The ideal is a good hall, a good piano, and happy listeners.

What do you feel needs to be done to grow classical music’s audiences?

A great deal could be done. Love of music begins in youth, so families and schools must be imbued with musical activity. My parents didn’t play instruments, so I first encountered music through school and church. It is crucial that children learn to sing and hear beautiful music from an early age. That foundation builds lasting audiences.

As for the trend of ‘making classical music appealing’, I don’t believe artists and promoters should dilute the concert experience. People seek music to lift them out of routine, so serving up the familiar often backfires. I’m not arguing for ever more niche or recherché programmes, but for keeping classical music culturally distinct, so that all styles can be enjoyed in their natural context.

What is your most memorable concert experience?

When a mobile phone went off during a cadenza I was playing at St John’s Smith Square with the London Mozart Players. It was the early days of mobile phones, when concert halls hadn’t yet started asking audiences to silence them. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor did not blend very well with Mozart K415! 

As a musician, what is your definition of success?

For me, success lies in making progress with one’s musicality and technique.

What advice would you give to young/aspiring musicians?

If you want a career in music, give consideration not only to your playing but also to the broader aspects – publicity, contracts, relationships, networking, presentation, and self-development.

What’s the one thing in the music industry we’re not talking about which you think we should be?

There seems to be a dearth of social commentary from musicians, which I find puzzling. Many musicians have strong opinions, yet I rarely see them expressed publicly – partly from fear that speaking out might reduce opportunities with ‘gate-keeping’ institutions. Musicians must feel free to speak their minds and contribute to public discourse.

Matthew Schellhorn’s latest recording ‘Odd Sympathies’ is released on 17 October on the First Hand Records label. Find out more

matthewschellhorn.com