Matthew McDonald

Matthew McDonald serves as Visiting Professor at the Royal Academy of Music while holding the prestigious position of Principal Double Bass of the Berliner Philharmoniker since January 2009. His career includes prior principal bass roles with the Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester Berlin and Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, alongside three years with Ensemble Modern collaborating with leading contemporary composers.

Educated at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (BMus), he furthered his studies at Berlin's Karajan Academy under Klaus Stoll and earned his Konzertexamen from Hochschule für Musik 'Hanns Eisler' with Esko Laine after initial training with Max McBride and Kees Boersma in Australia.

Specializing in orchestral and chamber repertoire, McDonald performs internationally at festivals including Music at Plush, Zagreb, and Winchester, and maintains a close association with Prussia Cove's International Musicians Seminar. His artistic collaborations feature renowned musicians such as Imogen Cooper, Radovan Vlatkovic, Mark Padmore, and the Kuss Quartet, with notable performances at Wigmore Hall.

As an educator, he conducts masterclasses globally at institutions including Yale University, Sydney Conservatorium, Tokyo, and Tongyeong Music Festival, while regularly mentoring youth orchestras like the European Union Youth Orchestra and Junge Deutsche Philharmonie. His jury service for Deutscher Musikwettbewerb underscores his standing in the musical community.