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Matthew Bieniek (b.1976) is a composer of international standing based in Canberra, Australia. In 2000 he completed the Master of Music degree in composition at the Sydney Conservatorium, studying with Bozidar Kos. During this period he was also awarded a Big Brother scholarship enabling him to undertake a seven-month period of private study in England with Michael Finnissy. In 1998 he completed the Bachelor of Music (composition) degree (Honours First Class and University Medal) at the Sydney Conservatorium where he won numerous awards, including the Ignaz Friedmann Memorial Prize in three consecutive years, the Doris Burnett Ford scholarship, and the Don Banks and Alfred Hill Memorial Prizes for composition.

Bieniek represented Australia at the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) World Music Days festival in 2003, held in Slovenia, where his clarinet solo Fleshold: at the crossing over was awarded the international ISCM-CASH Young Composer Award and a commission to write a work for the International Gaudeamus Music Week 2005. Matthew's work was also selected as part of Australia's submission to the 2007 ISCM World New Music Days in Hong Kong.

Bieniek's music crosses stylistic boundaries and explores the borders between contrasting elements such as sound and silence, noise and music, speech and pure instrumental tone. It is at these grey areas that new sounds and music may be discovered and exploited. His compositions cover a wide range of instrumentation and have been performed and commissioned by musicians including the Asko Ensemble, Carl Rosman, Kathleen Gallagher, Brett Dean, Joze Kotar, Mark McGregor, Stanley Dodds, Ensemble Offspring, the Libra Ensemble, the Aark ensemble and the Australasian Computer Music Association.

Bieniek has participated in numerous composition seminars (studying with Martin Bresnick, Brett Dean, Brenton Broadstock, Elena Kats-Chernin and Don Freund amongst others) and has lectured in composition and theory at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the Australian Institute of Music.

Bieniek served as program coordinator for Musica Viva Australia's Menage: Intimate Music concerts (1999-2003). His keen interest in new music has also found expression through his role as composer in residence and founding co-artistic director (2002-2003) of the new music ensemble Aårk, and his active involvement in the wider local music community of Bathurst where he teaches composition both privately and through the Mitchell Conservatorium. He was producer, publicist and sponsorship manager for the Conservatorium's 2004 production of Puccini's Sister Angelica; and provides his skills as a conductor and accompanist to a multitude of local music ensembles and students. Bieniek also provides in-school composition and Australian music assistance to HSC students throughout the Central Western region of New South Wales.

Matthew Bieniek — current to April 2014