Matt Ford
Matt Ford is widely regarded as the finest big band singer in the UK, performing for 5 years with the multi-award winning Syd Lawrence Orchestra. In 2006 Matt was voted “Best UK Male Big Band Vocalist” and nominated alongside Jamie Cullum in the inaugural Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Awards (Best UK Male Vocalist category). As a soloist Matt makes regular appearances with the John Wilson Orchestra, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and BBC Concert Orchestras, and has also worked with the Northern Sinfonia, City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Halle and Philharmonia Orchestras. Matt Ford has worked with many conductors including John Wilson, Neil Thompson, David Brophy, Robert Ziegler, Richard Balcombe, Stephen Bell and Larry Blank.
In 2009 Matt broadcast with the BBC Big Band for the 30th Anniversary of BBC Radio 2’s “Big Band Special”. His appearances with the RTE Concert Orchestra are regularly broadcast on RTE 1 and Lyric FM throughout Eire, whilst his album recordings have aired across the UK on BBC Radio 2. In 2010 Matt was invited to join the cast of “Singing in the Rain” (as R.F Simpson) for the first ever concert performance of the original film score, performed at Royal Festival Hall with the Philharmonia Orchestra. In May 2011 Matt recorded “That’s Entertainment” for EMI Classics with the John Wilson Orchestra and in September 2011 Ford made his BBC Proms debut performing as featured soloist in “Hooray For Hollywood” with the John Wilson Orchestra which was broadcast on BBC TV and radio. Matt returned to the BBC Proms in August 2013 in “Hollywood Rhapsody” with the John Wilson Orchestra and American jazz star Jane Monheit. He made his US Debut in October 2013 in Los Angeles with the John Wilson Orchestra alongside Seth MacFarlane, Anna Jane Casey, Sierra Boggess and Julian Ovenden.
In 2014 Matt Ford returned to Dublin with the RTE CO and to BBC Radio 2, Celebrating Doris Day’s 90th Birthday, with the Clare Teal and the BBC CO for “Friday Night Is Music Night”. In 2014 he performed at the Harrogate, Aldeburgh and Grafenegg festivals with the John Wilson Orchestra, and at Henley, Petworth and Malling with “Close To You”, a new Sinatra show celebrating his much acclaimed recordings with the Hollywood String Quartet. In 2015 Matt Ford appeared on television on Sky Arts “Cole Porter in Hollywood” and on the BBC Four Documentary “The Sound Of Song”. Concert appearances in 2015 included the Halle Orchestra in a tribute to Gene Kelly, the RTE Concert Orchestra and performances at Hampton Court Palace, Harrogate, Cheltenham, Aldeburgh, Newry, and Thaxted Festivals and a national tour “Gershwin in Hollywood” with the John Wilson Orchestra. In February 2016 he made his debut in France with a live broadcast on French national radio with his own show from the Auditorium de la Maison de la radio. Matt Ford features on the John Wilson Orchestra’s new CD release “Gershwin in Hollywood” which was released in May 2016 on Warner Classics.
Visit Matt’s website here.