The Mathieson Music School was founded by the concert cellist Anup Kumar Biswas in memory of Father Theodore Mathieson, an Anglican priest who died in 1994. Father Mathieson had been involved with the running of an orphanage in Calcutta for over 50 years and had established a unique musical tradition at the orphanage school where boys were taught both Western and Indian classical music. Many went on to enjoy successful musical careers, the most distinguished being Anup Kumar Biswas, whose unique talent Father Mathieson spotted at an early age. Towards the end of his life, Father Mathieson became very concerned that after his death the musical aspect of the children's lives would also die. He and Biswas therefore conceived the idea of founding a special music school in Calcutta to continue the tradition the priest had established, and in February 1994, the Mathieson Music School was launched.