Matthieu was awarded money to buy tools and wood for his first cello.  He was also awarded a week at a workshop placement with Philip Brown in Newbury.  He found it a good opportunity to practice set-ups on different instruments, and it gave him a good view of workshop life.  In his words, a "very fruitful experience".

He now works at a small luthier's workshop in south Paris, doing repairs and setups.  Of this work, he says, "I have learnt a lot about making a nice set-up, and gained speed in doing it as well. I work on instruments to be rented, on new instruments, on old ones sometimes too. I carry on making, but very slowly, during my spare time. I am making a viola at the moment, inspired by Matteo Goffriller."