MATT BAKER Composer and Music Director of Chester Mystery Plays 2008   Following his highly acclaimed music of the 2003 production, Matt has exciting plans for the 2008 event. 'There will be new music, greater involvement - we're exploring new music possibilities and musical genres,' he said. 'The aim is to appeal to an even more widely diverse audience. The wide range of emotion in the plays makes them almost unique in the broad spectrum they offer for new musical composition. We will be looking for many singers and instrumentalists of all kinds to be involved in an exciting fusion of musical styles, from choral, classical and operatic to gospel, folk, world and popular music.'

Matt's recent composing credits include Hunchback of Notre Dame, Adventures of Tom Sawyer and A Christmas Carol (Dukes Playhouse, Lancaster); Shoah, It Was a Dark and Stormy Night, Arabel's Raven, Anthem for Doomed Youth and Grimm's Fairy Tales (The Nuffield, Southampton); plus several productions for the Chester Gateway, Cheshire Youth Theatre, Leicester Haymarket and
Action Transport Theatre.

Matt is artistic director of Chester's new musical theatre company Theatre in the Quarter, whose original productions to date include Some Sunny Day, Sweet Sixteen and The Twelve Days of Christmas. He is musical director for Chester's maverick choir A Handbag of Harmonies and also of Jigsaw Music Theatre Company. His international work as youth musical director has taken him as far as Melbourne, Delhi, Yangon, Tanzania and Vienna.

In Liverpool, Matt is an occasional musical director at LIPA, and he has composed anthems for the World Museum and the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

As an actor, Matt's work has included roles at the Oldham Coliseum, Liverpool Everyman, Leicester Haymarket, Chester Gateway and London as well as tours in Germany and the UK. He also has several television credits.

Find Matt Baker's personal site here