Shepherd's Song

The Shepherd's Tale is a somewhat polystylistic piece. It begins with Renaissance inspired polyphony in a slow tempo initially establishing a peaceful and serene pastoral scene, before embarking on a lively allegro section that begins with Baroque style motor rhythms. As the allegro section progresses the music becomes increasingly exciting, the complexity increases and a more contemporary style emerges. The vibrant and energetic rhythms and the interplay between the players are both features of the work.

Matthew Minter grew up on a rural property at Bathurst and didn’t commence his musical training until the relatively late age of 10. Through hard work Matthew made up for lost time and completed his AmusA on piano after only 6 years of lessons. Matthew was awarded the most senior music scholarship of the Mitchell Conservatorium at Bathurst.

Matthew moved to Sydney to continue his studies in piano and composition at the Institute of Music under Nikolai Sokolov, later transferring to the piano performance program at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music studying under Phillip Shovk. Matthew graduated from the piano performance degree with the award of the best senior piano recital for the year.

Matthew has undertaken periods of study in Germany and Taiwan, however it is composition that has become his passion and major artistic focus in the recent years. Matthew commenced studying composition with Dan Walker in 2015 and has written extensively for choir, piano and chamber music. He has achieved considerable success in composition competitions including the silver medal in the Golden Key International Piano Composition Competition in 2016.

Matthew is a passionate teacher and has had a very successful teaching career. He has a particular interest in advanced composition education. From 2016 to 2021 he held the position of Director of Music at the Presbyterian Ladies College Armidale. Matthew is currently studying for his Masters of Music majoring in Composition with Robert Davidson at the University of Queensland.