Ville Matvejeff (b. 1986), a Finnish composer, pianist, conductor and singer, has despite his young age established himself as an exceptionally wide-ranging and interesting personality and versatile musician.
Matvejeff has performed and his compositions have been featured in most of the European countries as well as the United States, Mexico and Japan. He has successfully co-operated with orchestras such as the Finnish RSO, Finnish Chamber Orchestra, Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, Jyväskylä Symphony and Moscow Conservatory Chamber Orchestra. He visits frequently the most important music festivals in Finland, such as Musica Nova, Helsinki Festival, Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Mänttä Music Festival and Naantali Music Festival.
As a composer, Matvejeff has featured in the repertoire of prestigious music festivals such as the Tammisaari Summer Festival, Musica Nova Helsinki and Polyfollia Festival in Normandy. His oeuvre consists of works for orchestra, choir, chamber ensembles and song cycles. The choral work "Enkeli" (performed by EMO Ensemble) features at the "Choral Disc of the Year 2005". One of the triumphs in Matvejeff's young career include the commissioned work "Seaside Rendezvous" for the Finnish Chamber Orchestra (FCO) and Jukka-Pekka Saraste which was premiered in the summer 2006, and has received successful further performances by FCO and Jyväskylä Symphony. His upcoming premiers include commissioned works for symphony orchestra, chamber choir and chamber ensembles as well as a work for stage and song cycles.
Matvejeff works extensively as a chamber musician, lied partner and opera coach, and he currently works at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet. He has coached and worked as an assistant conductor at various operas, and has in addition to many opera classics he has a wide repertoire of 20th- and 21st-century operas. Matvejeff's soloist performances have also been highly acclaimed. In Summer 2007 he received praising critics for his debut performances at Mänttä Music Festival and Kuhmo Chamber Music festival. He was awarded the 3rd prize at the Jyväskylä Piano Competition in Spring 2007 and was the 1st prize winner of the Helmi Vesa Competition of the Sibelius Academy in 2005, receiving the Selim Palmgren Trophy. He took his debut prize in the Chopin Competition of Narva in 2002 respectively.
Ville has also a keen interest in promoting new vocal music projects, especially in the field of a cappella. He has a profound bass-baritone voice and appears as a bass soloist and ensemble singer at various vocal ensemble and opera performances focusing especially on 20th- 21st-century operas and vocal works.
Ville Matvejeff started his musical studies at the age of five. After studying piano and composition at the Espoo Music Institute and performing with the famous Tapiola Choir, he continued his studies at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki under prof. Matti Raekallio (piano) and prof. Paavo Heininen (composition). His important instructors include also pianists Carlos Juris, Olli Mustonen, Ralf Gothóni and Andras Schiff as well as composer Magnus Lindberg. Matvejeff has also studied orchestral conducting with prof. Jorma Panula and choral conducting with prof. Matti Hyökki.
