The Muffat Collective
Biography The Muffat Collective
Matthew Greco
is a concertmaster, soloist and core member of some of the world’s leading period instrument ensembles. He has been a regular member of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and concertmaster of the Orchestra of Antipodes (Pinchgut Opera) since 2006. In 2010 he moved to The Netherlands where he studied Baroque violin at The Royale Conservatoire of The Hague and worked with leading European ensembles including De Nederlandse Bachvereniging and Les Talens Lyriques (France). He is a founding member of the Sydney-based ensemble The Muffat Collective and a core member of the Australian Haydn Ensemble.
Matthew currently enjoys teaching baroque violin at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music as well as performing with a variety of international ensembles and festivals in Australia and Europe. Committed to producing a unique and individual sound based on historical performance practices, Matthew believes that seventeenth- and eighteenth-century music is full of vitality and emotions that speak to us now, as much as they did in the past.
When he is not playing the violin, you can find Matthew cooking up a storm in the kitchen.
Rafael Font-Viera
started his violin studies at the age of five in his hometown of Caracas, Venezuela. After completing studies at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, he worked with many leading British early music groups including the Academy of Ancient Music and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Rafael pursued postgraduate studies in Baroque and Classical violin at the Royal Conservatoire of the Hague and since moving to Sydney, has become a regular member the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and Orchestra of the Antipodes (Pinchgut Opera).
Rafael is a highly versatile performer, with interests ranging from Monteverdi to Tchaikovsky on both violin and viola. Rafael is also a dedicated music teacher, regularly tutoring violin and viola and conducting ensembles across several schools in Sydney.
When he is not playing the violin, Rafael is likely listening to history podcasts or watching documentaries.
Anton Baba
Australian-born violoncellist, Anton Baba studied Classical cello at the Eastman School of Music (USA 2006) after his initial studies in Perth. He completed postgraduate studies on the Baroque cello at the Royal Conservatorium, The Hague (2013), where he simultaneously undertook studies in viola da gamba. Anton has worked as a skilled viola da gamba and Baroque cello player in the most experienced Baroque ensembles of Europe including Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and The Gabrieli Consort. Since returning to Australia in 2018, Anton has been a regular member of Orchestra of the Antipodes (Pinchgut Opera), Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra and Australian Brandenburg Orchestra.
Anton is also a dedicated educator and a founding member of the ACO Foundations team providing music lessons and fostering creative skills for students at St Mary’s North Public School.
When he is not playing the cello, Anton enjoys knitting and throwing a frisbee in his local park.
Anthony Abouhamad
performs on a wide variety of historical keyboard instruments including the harpsichord, organ, fortepiano and clavichord. He earned his PhD at the University of Sydney in the study of historical performance practices. Building an awareness of music’s cultural context is central to his attitude towards music making.
After studying harpsichord and fortepiano at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, he was employed with chamber groups and orchestras in The Netherlands, France, U.K. and the United States. At home, Anthony enjoys performing with the Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Hobart Symphony Orchestras as well as The Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra and Orchestra of the Antipodes (Pinchgut Opera).
Currently teaching both musicology and historical performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Anthony focuses on clarifying the connection between theory and practice providing students with the fundamental tools to refine their own historical performing.
When he is not playing the harpsichord or writing a research paper you can find Anthony swimming at the pool or with friends at the pub.
