Education

Matthes received his first organ tuition from Marie-Claire Alain

Marie-Claire Alain

Marie-Claire Alain is a French organist and organ teacher best known for her prolific recording career. She is particularly known for her ability to perform substantial works entirely from memory.-Background and education:...

. In 1985, after three years of studies at the Paris Conservatory with Odile Pierre, he won first prize. Only one year later he won a first price of excellence. During the same time he studied Analysis, Harmony, Counterpoint and Fugue with Yvonne Desportes

Yvonne Desportes

Yvonne Desportes was a French writer and composer. She was born in Coburg, Germany, and studied with Noel and Jean Galton, Maurice Emmanuel, Paul Dukas and Marcel Dupre at the Paris Conservatory. She won the Prix de Rome in 1932 and lived in Rome from 1933-37. In 1943 she returned to Paris where...

 and Marcel Bitsch

Marcel Bitsch

Marcel Bitsch was a French composer, teacher and analyst. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris and also was professor of counterpoint there. In his latter years he concentrated on teaching and analysing the music of J. S...

 and the improvisation with Pierre Cochereau

Pierre Cochereau

Pierre Eugène Charles Cochereau , was a French organist, improviser, composer, and pedagogue.- Biography :Pierre Cochereau was born on July 9, 1924 in Saint-Mandé, near Paris. In 1929, after a few months of violin instruction, he began to take piano lessons with Marius-François Gaillard...

. This course won him the gold medal of the Cziffra foundation.

Career

At the age of nineteen he gave his first concert at the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris and since 1986 he has played in several festivals and became the youngest soloist of Radio-France. His passion for the music written by Marcel Dupré

Marcel Dupré

Marcel Dupré , was a French organist, pianist, composer, and pedagogue.-Biography:Marcel Dupré was born in Rouen . Born into a musical family, he was a child prodigy. His father Albert Dupré was organist in Rouen and a friend of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, who built an organ in the family house when...

 led him to a set of nine concerts featuring the composer's work.

He is often invited to play at prestigious festivals such as Villa Medicis Rome, Istanbul, Athenes, Berlin. Considered a brilliant organist by most conductors, he is often asked to be the soloist of the greatest European orchestras. He has appeared on television, and leads master classes based on the works of Marcel Dupré and Jeanne Demessieux

Jeanne Demessieux

Jeanne Marie-Madeleine Demessieux , was a French organist, pianist, composer, and pedagogue.-Biography:...

. Matthes is organist of the great organ at Troyes Cathedral and he is at present professor of organ at the Conservatoire National Marcel Landowski at Troyes.

In 2007 he was awarded the distinction “Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et de Lettres” by the French Ministry of Culture.

External links

• Official website