Matthieu Arama

Concertmaster

“Here is a violinist with a rich, full tone, reminiscent of Toscha Seidel or David Oistrakh.” (Lynn René Bayley – Fanfare Magazine / USA)

Appointed Concertmaster of the Opera Australia Orchestra in 2024, Matthieu Arama began playing the violin at age six and made his debut as a soloist at Paris’s Salle Gaveau at age eleven.

A few years later, he won First Prize and the Alumni’s Special Award from the Paris Conservatory (CNSM). He then had the honor of being accepted into Igor Oistrakh’s class at Brussels’s Royal Conservatory, where he received his Master’s Diploma with High Distinction. Igor Oistrakh became his mentor, and his legacy continues to be a source of inspiration for him.

Thanks to his teaching, Matthieu won major prizes in some of the most prestigious international competitions, including the Third Grand Prize at the Montréal International Violin Competition and the Bronze Medal at the London International Violin Competition (Benjamin Britten).

Following these successes, Matthieu performed as a soloist in some of the world’s greatest concert halls, including London’s Barbican, Montréal’s Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House, Paris’s Salle Gaveau and Salle Cortot or Cape Town’s City Hall, with orchestras such as the London Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic, the Montréal Symphony, the Ontario Philharmonic, the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, the Real Filharmonía de Galicia, the Cape Town Philharmonic, the Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Bordeaux or the Lithuanian Symphony Orchestra.

Matthieu has played concertos and showpieces under the baton of renowned conductors, including Sir Andrew Davis, Domingo Hindoyan, Paul Daniel, Asher Fisch, Roberto Benzi, Shlomo Mintz, Pierre Bleuse, Sascha Goetzel, and Kwamé Ryan.

He has also given recitals worldwide. Many of his performances have been broadcast by Radio Canada, CBC, Radio Classique, France Musique, France Inter, Radio Suisse Romande, and Fox News.

His first album, Violin Showcase (including works by Paganini, Sarasate, Wieniawski, …), released by Brilliant Classics, as well as his recording of the most beautiful violin solos from the Russian ballet repertoire (Raymonda, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, …) for the label Actes Sud/Harmonia Mundi, received great reviews from critics (Fono Forum / Germany, Klassieke Zaken / Holland, Fanfare Magazine / USA, ResMusica / France).

Matthieu Arama now plays the “Duc de Crémone” by A. Guarnerius, made in 1678, kindly loaned by a generous benefactor.