Matti Hirvonen

Matti Hirvonen lives in Stockholm. His career as a song pianist began at the invitation of the famous soprano Elisabeth Söderström, and he now performs Lieder regularly with Nina Stemme, Hillevi Martinpelto, Miah persson, camilla Nylund, Katarina Karnéus, Angelika Kirschschlager, Anna Larsson, Iréne Theorin, Håkan Hagegård, Bo Skovhus, Andreas Schmidt, Peter Mattei, Wolfgang Holzmair among many others.

A regular guest at European festivals including Edinburgh, Grafenegg, Aix-en Provence and Schleswig-Holstein, Matti performs at major venues such as Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna, Wigmore Hall London, Philharmonie Köln, Palais des Beaux Arts Brussels, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Oper Frankfurt and Laieszhalle Hamburg, as wll as further afield including Weill Recital hall in New York and numerous venues across Japan.

Matti has held the position of Professor of Accompaniment at the London Royal College of Music, Stockholm Royal College of Music, The Norwegian Acadmy in Oslo and Rutgers University in the USA. He has given masterclasses in the art of Lieder for both singers and pianists at the Mozarteum Summer Academy in Salzburg, Juilliard School in New York, Cleveland Institute of Music, the Oxford Lieder Festival, the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and the Royal Danish Conservatory of Muisc in Copenhagen.

As a testament to his oustanding achievements within Swedish music, in 2014 Matti was awarded the royal medal Litteris et Artibus by his Majesty Karl Gustav XVI.