Mattias Spee is a Dutch pianist and composer. Originally coming from a classical background, he has shifted his focus towards composition, improvisation and (interdisciplinary) collaboration. Mattias has won prizes, a.o. at the Princess Christina Competition, the Steinway Piano Competition, the SJMN Competition, the Rotterdam Piano Festival and the Vrienden Culture Prize. His practising instrument is a 1992 Grotrian-Steinweg grand piano, made available to him by the Dutch National Music Instrument Foundation.
Playing with others takes up a significant part of Mattias’s musical activities. Besides performing regularly in project-based ensembles, he has been part of the Goudsbloem Trio for several years, together with cellist Hadewych van Gent and clarinetist Ana Prazeres. One of Mattias’s other big musical passions lies with contemporary music. He believes that in the modern repertoire, there are many treasures to be found, that will unfortunately remain undiscovered by a big portion of the audience. That’s why he regularly incorporates modern music into his concert programs. Mattias himself writes music for piano, as well. In his own compositions, he often leaves space for improvisation and spur-of-the-moment ideas.
Mattias is also fascinated by music that has, justifiably or not, slipped into oblivion. He thinks it’s important to pay attention to the incredible amount of music that hides underneath a layer of dust and bringing it to life again. This fascination has resulted in a series of albums titled “Eclipse”, featuring music by unknown composers. The first album in this series, featuring music by Joseph Wölfl, was released in June of 2021.
In addition to being a musician, Mattias is a dedicated vegan. He is outspoken on animal cruelty and the negative effects that our way of life has on the planet.