Mathew Adkins: biography
Mathew Adkins (Leamington, England, UK, 1972)
• residence: Huddersfield, England, UK
• composer
Mathew Adkins is a composer, performer, and lecturer of electronic music. He was born in 1972 in Leamington, England. He was introduced to electronic and acousmatic music during his music studies at Pembroke College, Cambridge. After he graduated from Cambridge in 1993 he pursued postgraduate research in electronic music at the University of Birmingham with Jonty Harrison and later at the University of East Anglia with Simon Waters.
He first came to international attention in 1995 with two works: Melt and Clothed in the Soft Horizon which were awarded the Stockholm Electronic Arts Award, Prix de Residence at Bourges and the Grand Prix of Musica Nova Prague. In 1994 he was awarded a British Academy Travel Scholarship which enabled him to work at EMS (Institute for Electroacoustic Music in Sweden). He has also worked at the Cesare Studios in Reims, France. Since 1996 virtually all of his works have been created in his own studio. He was a member of the Birmingham Electroacoustic Sound Theatre from 1993 - 1995 and a Director of the Sonic Arts Network of Great Britain between 1995-1997, before moving to Dublin for a year. In 1998 he became co-artistic Director of the annual Electric Spring Festival in Huddersfield, and is co-founder of the recently formed multimedia group r.a.r.e. experimental.
His works have been broadcast and performed worldwide and have been featured in numerous international festivals including the Bourges Synthèse 1995 and 1997 (France), the Aspekte Festival (Austria), Futura (France), the Stockholm Electronic Arts Festival (Sweden), A.C.M.C. (New Zealand), I.C.M.C. (China) and Symposium VII (Brazil). Recent works include Neurotransmission, an hour long electronic work commissioned by Suffolk Dance for Wayne McGregor and Random Dance Company, Noumena for cello and electronics commissioned by Sonic Arts Network of England, and Deepfield for octophonic tape, commissioned by Césaré Studios, Reims. Forthcoming works include works for flute and electronics commissioned by Alejandro Escuer, a new work for ensemble and electronics commissioned by IRCAM and a new electroacoustic work co-commissioned by the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and the Ina-GRM.
Mathew Adkins
