Matthew Crane is the UK 's youngest Operatic Baritone. A year 10 pupil at Gads Hill School, in Kent, (the former home of Charles Dickens), Matthew's extraordinary vocal talent was first recognised by his music teacher, Liz Buckley, who introduced him to Rochester Cathedral's Choirmaster, Roger Sayer, and then to Christine Hubbard, his vocal coach and mentor. Matthew has the support of his headmaster, David Craggs; this enables him to balance his musical career and his schoolwork which are both very important to him. At the age of 14, he has already surpassed the careers of many of his operatic counterparts of the older generation, winning numerous UK talent shows and festivals, with songs such as 'Nessun Dorma', 'Be My Love', 'Volare', 'La Donna e Mobile', 'O Sole Mio' and many more.
Matthew's journey began approximately two years ago winning the prestigious Star4Medway award, giving him the chance to perform at the first ever Kent Music Festival alongside stars Katherine Jenkins and G4 at Port Lympne Zoo. He has performed at the Royal Albert Hall with the Gads Hill School Choir in December 2004 for the 'Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children' Concert where he first met Katherine Jenkins and sang to her, privately, backstage, by request.
Next, he won the 'Adult Open Opera Solo' class of the Medway Festival of Music Speech and Drama, in October 2005, at just 12 years old and, a year later, won the Junior and Senior Championships of the same Festival singing with astonishing clarity and was compared to that of a veteran performer by the local press who continue to follow Matthew with much interest. Matthew is passionate about his singing and has been actively involved in many charity concerts, such as BBC Children in Need, The Mayor of Medway's Charity Concert, The Universal Peace Federation Concert, and was honoured when asked to turn on the Chatham Xmas lights with the former Mayor, Councillor Ken Webber
In January 2006, he was nominated for a 'Pride of Medway Award' and then, in March, went on to win the 'Gads Hill Spring Music Festival'.
Matthew is managed by Steve Long whom is well known and respected within the music industry and who arranged for Matthew to work with one of the UK's most renowned record producers, Andy Wright.
Matthew has already amassed a celebrity fan base including the legendary Jools Holland, who gave Matthew a letter supporting his vocal talent to take to auditions, Katherine Jenkins Opera Singer and celebrity couple, Peter Andre and Jordan, Danny La Rue, and Shane Lynch, whom he met in a singing competition in Essex. Matthew has also just become the first Series Champion of BBC2's New Talent Show, 'Let Me Entertain You', hosted by Brian Conley, whom was amazed by Matthews vocal ability.
Matthew loves to sing classical songs and opera; he aspires to the great Luciano Pavarotti, Mario Lanza and the wonderful Bryn Terfel. He is currently learning to play the piano and is looking forward to a long and prosperous career in the music industry. He hopes you will continue to support him on his chosen path and has aspirations to attend the Royal Academy of Music in the future.
Matthew headlined his own concert at Rochester Cathedral in September 2006 called 'September Inspirations' to a sell out crowd with his tutor and mentor Christine Hubbard, he also performed in a 'Classic Christmas Concert' in December 2006 with the 'London Mozart Players' to great acclaim, Vanessa Feltz the TV presenter and radio show host and newspaper Ccolumnist came to both concerts and wrote a very promising article on Matthew in the Daily Express on the 19th December 2006.
Since then he has been involved in more talent shows and competitions which he has won. He also has been filmed by Channel 4 as part of a showbiz documentary on TV early Spring 2006 called 'The Harvey Goldsmith Entertainer of the Year' and has been nominated for another 'Pride In Medway Award' and is to attend the award ceremony on 23rd March 2007 at the Corn Exchange in Rochester.
Visit Matthews website www.matthewcrane.co.uk and go to the video page to watch his performances also Matthew has a page on my space
www.myspace.com/matthewcranebaritone and on You Tube.
Matthew also entered 'The Gravesham Festival of Speech & Music' in March 2007, where he entered and won 5 Vocal competitions. Matthew achieved 3 distinctions and 2 outstanding placements in the competition receiving 5 certificates and 5 large silver cups. The cups he won were 'The Simmons Cup' for 'Songs From The Shows' 14 years and under, 'The Douglas Stevenson Cup' for 'Songs from the Shows' for 18 years and under, 'Scott Junior Vocal Cup' for Vocal Solo 14 years and under, 'The Keating Cup' Vocal Solo under 18 years and lastly, 'The Ida Saunders Cup' for The Open Opera Solo. The competition was adjudicated by Roger Crocker formerly of the Royal Academy of Music, he said Matthew had 'A STUNNING VOICE, A MAGNIFICENT PERFORMANCE, WONDERFUL TO HEAR".
Matthew has just achieved a place in Regional Final of 'South Coast Idol' on 10th April 2007 at the Fairfield Halls in Croydon and is in the Semi Final of UK unsigned in October in London, he also is in several finals of local talent shows sponsored by National Breweries.
Matthew appeared alongside Katherine Jenkins on 14tth July 2007 at Womersley Park in Doncaster, in a large open air venue concert for 5000 people, visit www.womersleypark.co.uk. Matthew also visited a childrens hospice whilst in Doncaster and made a donation to the hospice from a golf charity day he was involved in with his father.
It is also to be confirmed that Matthew is to be entered into The Guinness Book of Records as 'The UKS Youngest Operatic Baritone'.
Matthew has been approached by a Spanish TV network to appear on TVE1 to perform on a show with a similar format to the BBC2 TV show he won in May 2007 and he has also been asked to return as Series Champion to BBC2 Let Me Entertain You Variety Show in June 2007.
Matthew has also recently auditioned for the 2007 X-Factor Competition and has obtained a place at the X-Factor Bootcamp, where he received some very positive comments from Simon Cowell and support from Sharon Osbourne. His audition can be seen on Matthew's video page on the website www.matthewcrane.co.uk
Matthew is a very talented and loving child whose dream is to sing at the 2012 Olympics and to be the Best Classical/Opera singer in the world. When he sings it makes him happy, he has always said his voice was 'a gift' and that all he wants is to share it with others to give pleasure to people.
Matthew has also made a video called 'Memories' which is Opera and Hip Hop together forming a new style of music called 'Hiphopera'. In the video Matthew features with two rappers, Ozmosis and The Firm, this video is featured daily on Channel U Sky TV 360 and the Fizz Channel 361 on Sky TV.
Matthew hopes to audition for a classical record label at the end of September 2007 and has been approached with the possibility of him featuring on BBC Songs of Praise at a local cathedral in Rochester, Kent (yet to be confirmed).
He has also been invited to take part in the Marbella Film Festival in October 2007, and is soon to make another video for Channel U with another Rapper and hopes to release this as a single shortly.
Matthew has also been asked to sing at Dartford Football Club's first anniversary of the new stadium in November 2007 as his great grandfather was a Dartford football player in the early 1900's.
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