MATTHEW HALLS is one of Britain's most promising young conductors as well as a leading organist and harpsichordist. He became Associate Director of The King’s Consort in 2005 before being appointed to his current position. He studied at Oxford University, was organ scholar and later assistant organist at New College and graduated with a first-class degree in music. He made his London conducting début in 1997 directing programmes of Vivaldi and Handel with James Bowman and Emma Kirkby. Since then, in addition to his work with The King's Consort, he has conducted The English Concert, Portland Baroque Orchestra, USA, and Holland Baroque Society.

Whilst completing postgraduate research at Oxford he was also director of music at the University Church there. In 1998 he joined the European Union Baroque Orchestra, with whom he toured extensively throughout Europe and the Middle East. Since leaving this orchestra he has enjoyed a busy and exciting career, playing with many of the world’s leading period instrument orchestras, including the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Les Arts Florissants, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Academy of Ancient Music, the Theatre of Early Music, Montreal and the New York Collegium. As a soloist he has appeared at the Cheltenham International Festival; Handel Festival, Halle; Enescu Festival, Bucharest; Ottawa International Chamber Festival; Lamèque Festival; New Brunswick and Bermuda Festival.

Matthew is also active in the opera world as a freelance conductor and chorus master, working regularly at De Nederlandse Opera and the Nationale Reisopera in The Netherlands, the Komische Oper in Berlin and the Bayrische Staatsoper, as well as with English Touring Opera and New Chamber Opera. He has also appeared at the Athens Megaron and Buxton Festival Opera. He was a tutor at St Peter’s College Oxford and taught harpsichord at Oxford University. Matthew is also a tutor for the European Union Baroque Orchestra and regularly teaches on summer schools and courses such as the Jerusalem Early Music Workshop and the Dartington International Summer School.

As a harpsichordist, organist and fortepianist he has already appeared on well over fifty recordings and broadcasts regularly both in the UK and on the continent. His recent recordings include a disc of double concertos for harpsichord/fortepiano and flute by Giovanni Agrell with the Dutch flautist Wilbert Hazelzet, Handel Trio Sonatas op. 2 (runner-up in the 2004 Gramophone Awards) and the Mystery Sonatas of Biber with violinist Monica Huggett. Further work with her includes an additional recording of Biber violin sonatas and Bach Violin Concertos. His recording of Handel Organ Concertos op. 4 with Sonnerie has met with critical acclaim.

Most recently, he made his conducting débuts with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra and the RTE Orchestra Dublin. Forthcoming projects include conducting the Hessischer Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester and the London Mozart Players, performing Bach Harpsichord Concertos in Canada and giving a recital at the International Handel Festival in Göttingen.