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Matthew Jackson is 17 and from Devon. He plays oboe and piano and has been composing for about five years. He was highly commended in the 2013 Inspire Competition and a winner of the 2014 Inspire Competition. As part of his prize, Matthew received a ´óÏó´«Ã½ commission to write a short piece for chamber ensemble of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Symphony Orchestra musicians, taking ideas of memory, nature and freedom as a starting point.

Developed over a series of workshops with composer Martin Suckling, conductor Rumon Gamba and ´óÏó´«Ã½ Symphony Orchestra musicians, the final piece, Symphony No. 1, An All-encompassing World, received its world-premiere at a Proms Extra event at the Royal College of Music on 8 August 2015.

“When considering the brief for this composition, I became aware of the significance that the title of a piece has on those listening. It is, in effect, the frame in which a listener views what they are hearing. This title particularly interested me as the piece is scored for a chamber ensemble of six musicians and lasts only five minutes. The idea of the title is not necessarily to provide an accurate description of the piece but more to challenge the perceptions that the listener may have with the idea of ‘a Symphony’."