Matthew Rowe is an exceptionally versatile conductor with a wide repertoire. Born in London, he studied in his home country and abroad, and participated in masterclasses with Peter Eötvös and Ton Koopman, among others. He has won prizes at a number of international conducting competitions including the 1999 Leeds Conductors Competition.
In 2004 Matthew Rowe made his debut with Dutch National Ballet, returning as a guest every season until his appointment as Music Director of Dutch National Ballet and Principal Conductor of the Dutch Ballet Orchestra in 2012. In this double position, he plays a vital role in the musical and artistic collaboration between the two organisations.Notable productions with Dutch National Ballet have included Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella, Alexei Ratmansky’s Firebird, and world premieres of Shen Wei’s Sacre du Printemps, Ted Brandsen’s Mata Hari, David Dawson’s Requiem and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Frida. Matthew Rowe’s repertoire also includes numerous works by Hans van Manen, George Balanchine and Krzysztof Pastor, alongside classics such as Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet and Don Quixote.
Furthermore, Matthew Rowe frequently appears with Nederlands Dans Theater, where he has collaborated with choreographers including the duo Sol León & Paul Lightfoot, Jiří Kylián, Marco Goecke and Crystal Pite, and is also a regular guest conductor with international dance companies such as San Francisco Ballet, Stuttgarter Ballett, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Polish National Ballet, and The Royal Danish Ballet.
With the Vienna State Ballet’s premiere Shifting Symmetries, Matthew Rowe will make his debut at the Vienna State Opera in December 2023.