Few 23 years-olds can say they’ve gossiped with Katherine Jenkins, played cards with Bryn Terfel and sung for Connie Fisher. Then again, Matthew Ibbotson is no ordinary 23 year-old. Nadia Bonjour finds out more.
While the weather is a dull winter’s day, Matthew Ibbotson is far from boring. Open, dedicated and entertaining, this young man recounts with confidence and pride his experiences as a performer. From choir to opera and musical, Ibbotson reveals his ambition to conquer the West End and Broadway and how he is: “not going to take ‘no’ for an answer”.
Ibbotson is a student in vocal studies with a classical training at Cardiff’s Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He is also a member of two semi-professional choirs, Serendipity and ONLY MEN ALOUD. With the choirs, he has performed with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Bryn Terfel, Katherine Jenkins and Juan Diego Flórez in addition to some high-profile events.
His interest for singing was sparked at six years-old when sat in church: “My parents were all robed up and I got really bored in the congregation so I thought I’d start singing in the choir”. Ibbotson was always encouraged by his parents to learn at least one instrument. “It so happens I chose singing”, he says. However, Ibbotson casually adds he also learned to play the cello, double bass, piano (though not very well he points out) and bass guitar.
What Ibbotson enjoys about singing is: “the fact that you’ve got nothing to hide behind when you’re performing. It’s just you and the audience; there’s no instrument for you to hide behind; you’re standing up there; it’s you in a naked sense”.
However, his artistic interest does not limit itself to singing. “I love acting at every opportunity I get. It was a toss of the coin whether I wanted to do acting or singing but singing won”, he says.
Ibbotson has been involved in numerous musicals. Yet at 5ft4, he indicates: “The type of character I play is not the lead characters; I mean 6ft2, the boy-band type who always gets the girl. I’m just not tall enough”. He asserts that he gets the ‘character’ role “who sings better than the lead actor”. In amusement, he insists: “you always laugh more with ‘character’ actors and they always get the biggest applause”. There is no question that Ibbotson thrives on entertaining.
There are challenges, admits Ibbotson, particularly with separating professional and personal life. But he is adamant that he could not imagine himself doing anything else. “I just couldn’t do a 9 to 5 job”, he says. “I’m going to keep trying and I’m not going to let the ‘no’s’ get me down”. Driven and ambitious, it seems this young man is set for many more applauses: “Do look out for me because I will be about. You’ll probably see my name up in lights somewhere, even if I have to put the light bulbs in myself.”
While the weather is a dull winter’s day, Matthew Ibbotson is far from boring. Open, dedicated and entertaining, this young man recounts with confidence and pride his experiences as a performer. From choir to opera and musical, Ibbotson reveals his ambition to conquer the West End and Broadway and how he is: “not going to take ‘no’ for an answer”.
Ibbotson is a student in vocal studies with a classical training at Cardiff’s Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He is also a member of two semi-professional choirs, Serendipity and ONLY MEN ALOUD. With the choirs, he has performed with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Bryn Terfel, Katherine Jenkins and Juan Diego Flórez in addition to some high-profile events.
His interest for singing was sparked at six years-old when sat in church: “My parents were all robed up and I got really bored in the congregation so I thought I’d start singing in the choir”. Ibbotson was always encouraged by his parents to learn at least one instrument. “It so happens I chose singing”, he says. However, Ibbotson casually adds he also learned to play the cello, double bass, piano (though not very well he points out) and bass guitar.
What Ibbotson enjoys about singing is: “the fact that you’ve got nothing to hide behind when you’re performing. It’s just you and the audience; there’s no instrument for you to hide behind; you’re standing up there; it’s you in a naked sense”.
However, his artistic interest does not limit itself to singing. “I love acting at every opportunity I get. It was a toss of the coin whether I wanted to do acting or singing but singing won”, he says.
Ibbotson has been involved in numerous musicals. Yet at 5ft4, he indicates: “The type of character I play is not the lead characters; I mean 6ft2, the boy-band type who always gets the girl. I’m just not tall enough”. He asserts that he gets the ‘character’ role “who sings better than the lead actor”. In amusement, he insists: “you always laugh more with ‘character’ actors and they always get the biggest applause”. There is no question that Ibbotson thrives on entertaining.
There are challenges, admits Ibbotson, particularly with separating professional and personal life. But he is adamant that he could not imagine himself doing anything else. “I just couldn’t do a 9 to 5 job”, he says. “I’m going to keep trying and I’m not going to let the ‘no’s’ get me down”. Driven and ambitious, it seems this young man is set for many more applauses: “Do look out for me because I will be about. You’ll probably see my name up in lights somewhere, even if I have to put the light bulbs in myself.”
Article written for a university assignment on interviewing and portraits
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