Pianist Mathias Halvorsen lives Reykjavik with his family. He performs regularly all over Europe, doing anything from chamber music and solo concerts to composition and various projects conceptualising classical repertoire. His latest albums appear on Lawo (Sinding sonatas for violin & piano) and Backlash (»On Palestrina« and an album of piano concertos by Ravel & Korngold with otto Tausk and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra).

He studied with prof. Jiri Hlinka (2006–2010) in Oslo and with prof. Gerald Fauth (2011–2013) in Leipzig. In 2009 he discovered the manuscript of piano concerto no. 5 by the Norwegian composer Halfdan Cleve at the National Library in Oslo and performed it with the Lithuania State Symphony and conductor Gintaras Rinkevicius. Since 2010 he has been performing concerts in complete darkness as a founding member of the critically acclaimed group LightsOut.

Mathias has recently been heard at Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Mofo (Tazmania), Yoko Ono’s Meltdown (London), Oranjiewoud Festival (Nederland) and Portland Chamber Music Festival. He has also performed at Philharmonie de Paris, Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg), Münchner Kammerspiele, Onassis Cultural Centre (Athens) and Queen Elizabeth Hall (London) – to name a few.

Since April 2019 he has been touring with violinist Mathieu van Bellen in new productions of Puccini’s »La Bohème« and »Tosca«, featuring only violin, piano and subtitles. The arrangement was made by the musicians themselves, combining the parts of the soloists, the choir(s), and the orchestra in a giant, uncut version of the operas for only two players. Their newest project »Salome« (Riachard Strauss) was premiered at PODIUM festival Esslingen. »La Bohème« was recorded for Backlash Music, and recieved great reviews in many major outlets.

Matthias Halvorsen works on a complete recording of Bach’s »The Well-Tempered Clavier« on prepared pianos. The first instalment was released on Backlash Music November 2018 as »The Well-Prepared Piano, vol. 1«.

Mathias appears regularly alongside Peaches in the duo show »Peaches Christ Superstar«. This production has visited many festivals such as Theater der Welt in Mannheim and Yoko Ono’s Meltdown in London. He has also done several dance and theatre pieces with director and choreographer Laurent Chetouane, shown e.g. at the National Theatre in Oslo, Norway.

Mathias also writes operas, one being the world’s first opera on a story by Agatha Christie (»And Then There Were None«, premiered in April 2023). NRK reviewed the premiere: »Criminally powerful Agatha Christie-opera«. Other pieces like the »The Square« and »The Transfigurator 3000« have been the basis for several youth projects, employing the use of alternative notation systems like movement and wooden cubes letting the audience compose for musicians in real time.

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