Examiner Profile: Mathew Stenbo

Mathew Stenbo MusBHons (1st), GradDipTeach (secondary) Mathew is currently the Director of Music at Avondale College. He specialises in Orchestral Trumpet and Baroque Period Instrument Performance on Natural Trumpet and Cornetto and has also been teaching piano privately for over 20 years. After leaving school he studied trumpet and piano at the Haydn Konservatorium in Eisenstadt, living there and in Vienna and performing with the Haydn Orchestra based at Esterhazy as well as funk and jazz groups. Throughout his time in Austria Mathew also taught piano, brass and woodwind at the Vienna International School and the American International School in Vienna. Upon returning to New Zealand, Mathew completed a Bachelor of Music at Victoria University with Michael Kirgan (NZSO) majoring in orchestral performance trumpet and then Honours with Ian Wilson at University of Canterbury specialising in baroque period instrument performance. He was the first trumpet player to be a winner of the Victoria University Concerto Competition and performed the Arutunian Trumpet Concerto with the VUW Orchestra under Kenneth Young at the Wellington Town Hall. Winning the seat of Sub-Principal trumpet in the Wellington Sinfonia (now Orchestra Wellington) while in his second year at university brought a wide range of orchestral experience including work for the RNZ Ballet and the NBRNZ Opera as well as performance opportunities with a wide range of international soloists and conductors in classical genres as well as popular music. Since this time Mathew has performed with all professional orchestras in New Zealand and was contracted to perform with Berlin's Lautten Compagney during their New Zealand Tour with NBR NZ Opera's performance of Xerxes in 2012. Mathew's particular area of interest is the historically appropriate performance of baroque and classical styles. Mathew enjoys conducting school orchestras and concert bands, and still teaches piano alongside his day job.