Creatives in Cornwall – Matthew Thomason

We’re continuing to celebrate some of the movers and shakers in Cornwall’s vibrant creative community.

Today we’re saying chons da/good luck as composer Matthew Thomason’s brand-new Cornish language song cycle, Arlodhes a Shallot, kicks off its tour across the Duchy today, and we couldn’t be prouder.

Matthew’s a Falmouth-based composer for film, TV, theatre, and games. You might’ve heard his soundtracks in the Nintendo game Europa (Future Friends Games, 2024) or the film Long Way Back (2022), from our friends and HfC Associate Artist alumni o-region. He’s also a touring pianist, performing his own classical works in cities like Venice, Helsinki, Edinburgh, Berlin and beyond.

We’re cheering Matthew on as a member of our Husa community. The HfC Husa programme nurtures the creative industries in Cornwall, providing support, workspace, talent development and career pathways for more than 400 Cornwall-based artists and sector colleagues. From sharing opportunities and building networks, to specialist workshops and skills development programmes, we're working with freelancers, companies and SMEs to bust through boundaries that are caused by our dispersed, rural and sometimes-isolated community. Together, we're ensuring Cornwall's reputation as a dynamo for innovative creative enterprises continues through future generations.

So, what’s Arlodhes a Shallot all about?

Inspired by Tennyson’s The Lady of Shalott and a Pre-Raphaelite exhibition at Falmouth Art Gallery, Matthew was struck by the story’s emotional pull. He says:

“The themes of isolation, personal freedom, self-expression, gender roles, love, and ultimately, death, are so viscerally relevant today. The poem transcends the near 200 years since it was written.”

The piece began life during the Endelienta Arts Cornish Language Residency last July, where Matthew spent a week in St Endellion exploring the Cornish language and developing his creative practice. There, he met Cornish translator Elizabeth Ellis, and together they brought the first verses of the piece to life, performed at the end of the residency in the beautiful St Endellion Church.

Over the next ten months, with support from HfC, Thomason and Ellis worked together to complete the song cycle. Now, it’s time to share it with audiences across Cornwall.

We spoke to Matthew about what led him to his career and how it feels to be a creative working in Cornwall.

Did you always want to be a composer?

I grew up in a very musical family so I was always encouraged to play instruments and express myself. I was in bands for years as a guitarist and vocalist but my passion always lay with writing music on the piano, although I never shared it. I realised at some point that being in bands wasn’t satisfying that part of me anymore so I decided to move into composition. I was lucky to get some opportunities to make music for some short films and that really inspired me to progress and develop as a composer, and later as a performer too. 

What influences your work?

 I’ve always been really inspired by the landscape, so when I moved to Cornwall 9 years ago I had such a rich source of inspiration. I composed a whole suite of piano music called ‘Gwlaskor’, which translates to Kingdom, which I later toured across Europe. My most recent work, Arlodhes a Shalott is a new setting of The Lady of Shalott poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, in Cornish, so I’ve been immersed in a medieval landscape of castles, rivers and tragedy! 

What's special about being a creative, specifically in Cornwall?

There’s a really strong creative community in Cornwall and a spirit of collaboration that makes it easier to find pathways into making work. As I mentioned above, the landscape here is magic and it invokes a lot of work in response. Cornwall has such an incredible identity and heritage, particularly with its language, that I am really interested in. I have been lucky to work with some incredible creatives here in Cornwall since I arrived in 2016 and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future brings. 

Check out more of Matthew’s work and find out how to book Arlodhes a Shallot at his website: matthewthomasonmusic.co.uk

Images: Hugh Hastings Photography