I’m thinking about the year that was … But Lewis Carroll’s Gryphon keeps interrupting, ‘No, no! The adventures first, explanations take such a dreadful time.’ So, adventures first …

In between firefighting the annihilation of work wrought by Covid-19 and doing my best to take the bludgeoning of homeschooling like a man, I have been trying – amidst the mayhem – to do what Jung recommends: ‘Be simple and always take the next step.’

Which meant that, in the first five months of the pandemic, I built a theatre in my garage (see my blog from last year); spent priceless time with my family; spent a lot of time watching YouTube ‘tech’ tutorials; commissioned, wrote, recorded, videoed, broadcast and streamed hours of musical material with the express purpose of offering upliftment and reflection; taught cello all over the world from the comfort of my living room … And, vexed and fuelled by the imperfect storm of politics, pandemic and cultural and educational freefall, moved to France for a CoronAdventure while the world is on pause.

In the late summer, my wife flew to Montpellier with our three children to enrol at the primary school in Caux, Hérault, catch La Rentrée Scolaire and attempt to douse the flames of the baptism of fire that is starting school in a new country and a new language. Meanwhile, I packed up the house, tied up loose ends, squeezed in a solo ‘outdoor, socially distanced, live-streamed’ concert and drove – accompanied by Joey the budgie – 900 miles south. The Mother of Invention, Captain Kirk and Benjamin Franklin had become Family Sharp’s guiding lights – necessity meant we were boldly going to create opportunity out of adversity.

With a grit and grace that made my heart swell with admiration and pride, the children took the understandably tough ‘first act’ of integration head on. They’ve now entered a joyful and jaw-dropping ‘second act’ where their absorption and comprehension of the language means that I don’t think we’ll be into ‘act three’ before they leave their parents for dust.

The cultural embrace has been warm and effusive. I play pétanque down at the skatepark after school with the percussionist from The Gipsy Kings and a Michelin-starred chef. Excited to infuse these arid Covid times with cultural irrigation, the Maire and the community very quickly sanctioned the use of a disused ‘chai’ – a vigneron’s outbuilding – and the glorious local church for a host of my lockdown endeavours. One insane week saw me making a film in Grenoble, live-streaming my Snow Queen to a festival in Mumbai, multi-tracking a Mahler song for a festival in Colorado and teaching from Taiwan to Toronto. Closer to home, I’m teaching Arie Antiche to my daughter and her best friend in preparation for their upcoming audition for the Junior Opera programme at Montpellier Opera.

I’ve found the direct connection with an online audience undeniably exciting and full of potential. So, I’ve launched ‘Cello Champion’ (www.matthewsharp.net) – an integrated, holistic curriculum that embraces in-depth exploration of body, voice, literature, art, landscape and spirit and channels it into ultimate cello-playing, playing fuelled by upliftment, connection and fearlessness. ‘Cello Champion’ also nurtures creativity, self-reliance and the very spirit that made Family Sharp’s CoronAdventure possible. It’s a suite of courses, challenges, resources and one-to-one coaching opportunities that draws on and draws together my 360-degree adventures through and across music and the arts. My feeling is that Covid-19 has refreshed first principles about what’s fundamental about the shared experience of music, as well as exposing those areas of the ‘industry’ which are slow, stuck and self-serving. Which, when it comes to unburdening and turbo-charging our service of art and audiences, is a perverse positive to have arisen from these incredibly challenging times.

So, what’s next? A time-rich Covid Year has allowed me to finish two albums. ‘Rough Magic', due out in the autumn on Stone Records, is a solo album of devotional music, some of it written for me by Sir John Tavener, Emily Hall and others, some of it arrangements of iconic songs by Rachmaninov, Ravel and Mahler. ‘The Cellar Sessions’, meanwhile – the third album from my band ZRI, following critically acclaimed recordings of the Brahms and Schubert Quintets, is due out next spring on October House Records – a new streaming platform and record label hosting exclusive new releases from international artists founded on principles that tackle streaming and royalty issues. For this latter recording, we have recreated the atmosphere of the Red Hedgehog Tavern in Vienna from which the band takes its name. Bach, traditional tunes, Taylor Swift and more comingle to make a heady brew bound to induce dance, tears and laughter – three of the essential ingredients that have held my CoronAdventure Year together.

Matthew is performing on June 5 at the Hertfordshire Festival of Music - visit: https://www.hertsmusicfest.org.uk/performances-and-events-2021

For more on Matthew’s projects, visit www.matthewsharp.net; you can also find him on Instagram and Twitter via @mattdjsharp