Matthias Bartolomey

Matthias Bartolomey was born in 1985 in Vienna, Austria. He started to play the cello at the age of seven and took his first lessons with his father Franz Bartolomey. He became a student of Prof. Valentin Erben at the University for music and performing arts in Vienna in 1995. From 2007 he studied with Prof. Clemens Hagen at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg where in 2010 he completed his studies with a Masters-degree. Since October 2020 Matthias has been teaching as a Univ.Prof. at the University Mozarteum
Salzburg.

In 2012 together with the Violinist and Mandolaplayer Klemens Bittmann he formed the Duo
BartolomeyBittmann - progressive strings. With exclusively original compositions they are leading their instruments out of their deeply rooted classical tradition to new musical pathways. With the spontaneity and improvisation of Jazzelements, the music includes heavy groove and rock elements as well as intimate ballads and fast uptempo compositions. Numerous concert tours brought the duo to venues like the Berliner Philharmonie, the Elphilharmonie Hamburg, the Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, the golden hall of the Musikverein Vienna as well as many famous festivals all over Europe. The duo has recorded 4 studio albums and received the famous ‚Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik‘ for their album ‚z e h n‘ in 2022.

In 2014 Matthias recorded the rarley played Cello sonata by Sir André Previn with the pianist Clemens Zeilinger. The record was released at the label ARS Produktion. 

Among his chambermusic partners are Benjamin Schmid, Linus Roth, Helmut Deutsch, Ariane Haering, Silke Avenhaus, Magda Amara, Matthias Schorn und Clemens Zeilinger. 

Since 2010 he plays as solocellist with the Concentus Musicus Wien (Ensemble for early music) founded by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. 

In addition to his concert and teaching activities Matthias Bartolomey is also focusing on writing new and original music for cello with an emphasis on developing and advancing new grooveand rock-focused playing techniques. In 2024 he released his first Solo album with music for Solo-Cello by J.S. Bach and his own original compositions. For the National Cello Competition of the Cello Biennale Amsterdam 2024 Matthias Bartolomey composed the commission work for Solo Cello called ‚Schaduw‘. 

His teaching-approach combines his expertise in the classical chamber music and solo repertoire with progressive and intuitivley-improvisational aspects with a special focus on Groove and Rock elements. 

Matthias is playing cellos by David Tecchler (Rome, 1727) & Philip Bonhoeffer (Montecastelli 2021) and is exclusively playing strings by LARSEN STRINGS.