Matthew Thomas Hickey (born 14 May 1975 ) is an Australian

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

. He was formerly a singer, songwriter, producer and director.

Education

Hickey was born in Ipswich, Australia. He was educated at St Edmund's College, Ipswich and later attended the University of Queensland, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in political science), and the Queensland University of Technology, from which he obtained a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Master of Music.

Music career

Hickey started his career as a boy soprano, training with Blodwyn Whitehead OAM. In 1988, he made his professional debut with the St Lucia Orchestra in the Concert Hall at the

Queensland Performing Arts Centre The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (also known as QPAC) is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank, Queensland, South Bank precinct. Opened in 1985, it ...

and, in the same year, appeared as a treble in Opera Queensland's production of Tosca. In 1990 he made his debut at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

, performing as a featured soloist with the Australian National Youth Choir. Later, Hickey studied towards a Bachelor of Music in opera at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, where he was a student of Professor Janet Delpratt AM. He won numerous prizes and awards, and appeared in masterclasses with the likes of Dame

Joan Sutherland Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s. She possessed ...

and Olaf Bär. As an operatic tenor, he performed with Opera Queensland, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the

Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra in the state of Queensland. The orchestra is based in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's building in South Bank. The Orchestra is funded by private corporations, the ...

, the

Queensland Pops Orchestra Queensland Pops Orchestra is an Australian orchestra founded by Colin Harper The Queensland Pops Orchestra had its first performance on the 31 December 1984 at the Lyric Theatre in South Brisbane, Queensland. This was also the first show at the ...

and various chamber ensembles. In 1998, while an undergraduate, together with fellow students, Hickey developed The Ten Tenors, of which he was a member, director and executive producer until 2010. During that time, The Ten Tenors: were awarded numerous gold and platinum albums in Australia and abroad; recorded at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

and at Sir George Martin's Air Studios, London; collaborated with Oscar-winning composer John Barry and Grammy-award winning producer Simon Franglen; and performed at high-profile venues worldwide, including the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in London, the

Kodak Theatre The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

in Los Angeles, the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg and the

. Hickey toured extensively with the ensemble all over the world, particularly in the US and Europe, performing an estimated 1500 shows with them, and he performed on or produced (or both) the following: CD * 1998 – ''Tenorissimo!'' * 1999 – ''Colours'' * 2000 – ''Untied'' (also known as ''One Is Not Enough'' in Europe) * 2001 – ''A Not So Silent Night'' * 2004 – ''Larger Than Life'' * 2005 – ''Tenology (The Best of So Far...)'' No. 8 AUS * 2005 – ''A Not So Silent Night'' (remastered and remixed with new tracks, available at concerts in Germany and as bonus CD with ''Tenology Limited Christmas Edition'' in the USA) * 2006 – ''Here's to the Heroes'' No. 8 AUS * 2008 – ''Nostalgica'' No. 27 AUS * 2011 – ''Nostalgica – International Edition'' (with bonus tracks from their performance on ''Oprah's Ultimate Adventure'') VHS/DVD * 2000 – ''Colours'' – VHS (Australia & New Zealand only) * 2002 – ''One Is Not Enough'' – DVD (Europe only) * 2004 – ''Larger Than Life'' – DVD (USA, Canada & Australia only) * 2006 – ''Here's to the Heroes'' – DVD * 2009 – ''Amigos Para Siempre'' CD/DVD pack In 2001 he was awarded the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...

for distinguished service to the Australian music industry.

Legal career

Since 2010, Hickey has practiced as a

in Queensland. He is a member of Level Twenty Seven Chambers. In 2016, 2017 and 2018 he was recognised by Doyle's Guide to the Australian Legal Profession as one of Queensland's leading building and construction barristers. In 2018, Hickey achieved prominence acting for liquidators in high-profile litigation against Clive Palmer and his companies, and in appearances for one of the families during the Coronial Inquest into the deaths of 4 people at Dreamworld in 2016.

Public life

Hickey is a member of the board of the Breast and Prostate Cancer Association of Queensland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hickey, Matthew 1975 births Living people Musicians from Queensland People from Ipswich, Queensland Australian barristers 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian male singers Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia