Marc Matthys
Pianist-Composer, Marc Matthys, born in Ghent in 1956, was attracted to music from a very earlyage. He made his first steps on the international music scene in 1964 when he won an European titleat the Accordion Competition of the “Communauté Européenne de l’Accordéon” in Paris.His love for the accordion led him to the piano and in 1979 he completed his classical training at theRoyal Conservatory of his hometown Ghent. There he obtained the highest degrees in Piano andChamber-Music and first prizes in Counterpoint and Fugue.He then went on to become one of Belgium’s most versatile musicians, at ease in both Classicalmusic, Jazz and Pop. He collaborated with various well-known artists such as Shirley Bassey, TootsThielemans, Eddie Daniels, Neeme Järvi, Dirk Brossé, Aga Winska, Ali Ryerson, Peter Verhoyen,Rudolf Werthen, Walter Boeykens, Jo Lemaire, Leen Persijn and many others. He also performed atthe Belgian Royal Palace, for the BOIC, the World Fare in Shangai and the NFA Convention in LasVegas to name but a few.Marc Matthys has realized more than 30 CD’s and 2 DVD’s and has toured in Europe, Russia, Chinaand the USA. He has written over 70 compositions including chamber music, solo pieces, work forlarger orchestras, etc. His music has won several prices (such as the KLARA Composition Contest of2005 and BAP/SABAM Price for Jazz Themes) and has been performed by the Royal PhilharmonicOrchestra of Flanders, the Belgian National Orchestra, the Saint-Petersburg State symphonyorchestra, I Fiamminghi, Arco Baleno and many others.He was director of the Kortrijk Conservatory between 1986 and 2016, and professor at the RoyalConservatory in Ghent between 1978 and 2016, where he also founded the Jazz Department.In 2012 he was named “Knight of the Order of Leopold” and “Officer of the Order of the Crown”.Since 2013 he is also a board member the UBC (Union of Belgian Composers).His latest musical project involves both his daughters Vanessa Matthys (Jazz singer) and NathalieMatthys (pianist) and renowned violinist Roby Lakatos. The project is entirely available on YouTubeand reflects Marc’s typical eclectic music approach.
