Internationally acclaimed guitarist Matthew Marshall will join with Rockhampton's newly formed string orchestra CQ Strings for a night of classical music next Friday evening (June 3).

String Serenade, presented by CQUniversity Australia and Arts Central Queensland Inc, will be performed at Rockhampton's Walter Reid Centre Auditorium from 8pm.

Matthew joined ABC Radio's Jacquie Mackay for a chat about his decision to join CQUniversity and treated audiences with an on-air performance. You can here it here.

Matthew Marshall complements a string orchestra with the beautiful sounds of the classical guitar.In a unique combination of classical sounds, Matthew will perform two audience-friendly pieces with the string orchestra: Guitar Quintet No. 7 by Luigi Boccherini; and Serenade for Guitar and Strings by Malcolm Arnold, who was the composer of a list of memorable film scores (including winning an Academy Award for his music to The Bridge on the River Kwai in 1957). CQ Strings will conclude the concert with Mozart's Divertimento in B flat major K 137.

As the Dean of the School of Creative and Performing Arts at CQUniversity, Matthew believes it is performances like String Serenade that bring the arts to the fore in our community.

"CQUniversity hopes to build a greater awareness of the arts within the University and in the communities it serves," Matthew said.

"We are striving to build relationships with the community and are eager to work on collaborative events in the arts sector."

While CQ Strings is a new string orchestra in Rockhampton, it is also the first time Matthew has performed in Rockhampton as he is based at CQUniversity's Mackay campus.

Prior to his appointment at CQUniversity, Matthew was Director of Performance at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington 2007-2009, Visiting Professor of Music at the University of Plymouth, UK from 2006-2009, Director of Music at Dartington College of Arts, UK 2006-2007, and Head of the Conservatorium of Music at Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand 1996-2006.

Matthew is an internationally recognised concert performer and recording artist on the classical guitar, having given over 2000 recitals and concerts since 1983 throughout Europe, Asia, America, Australasia, and the Pacific Islands.

He has also appeared as soloist with the Berlin Chamber Orchestra, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Guanajuato & Michoacan Symphony Orchestras in Mexico and the Kemerovo Philharmonic in Russia.

As a recording artist Matthew has released five CDs and appears on another four in collaboration with other international artists including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Voices New Zealand, Kronos Quartet and others. He has also been recording for Radio New Zealand since the age of 17 and has recorded for radio and TV in Australia, USA, Germany, England and Mexico.

Sought after as a teacher, Matthew has given masterclasses at the Conservatorio Nacional de Mexico, the Mannes College of Music New York, the Gnessin Academy of Music Moscow, the Queensland Conservatorium Brisbane, the Canberra School of Music, the Malaysian Institute of Art, the Victorian College of the Arts, the Dartington International Summer School UK, and many others.