Music at St Matthew's Westminster

26/08/2024

03/08/2024

A recent recording of the choir singing Richard Shephard's setting of Never Weather Beaten Sail during Choral Evensong. Next terms weekly Choral Evensong begins again on Wednesday, 25th September at 18.30

21/07/2024

This morning we welcome the Prebendal Singers who will be leading singing at the 11.00 Solemn Mass.
Missa Secunda Pontificalis (Perosi)
Father, see Thy children (Blackwell)
Ubi caritas (Durufle)

06/07/2024

This Sunday at 11.00 we are celebrating our link with The Church of the Transfiguration, New York with an 'American Sunday'
American Music by Gerre Hancock and Ossewaarde
We will be using the Episcopal Church liturgy
Followed by lunch including burgers and hot dogs!
All welcome
Church of the Transfiguration - NYC

02/07/2024

This Wednesday at 18.30
Our last Evensong of academic year, followed by wine reception
Ayleward
Stanford in G
O how glorious is the Kingdom (Harwood)

All welcome

13/06/2024

CHORAL EVENSONG
WEDNESDAY 19th JUNE 18.30

We have a fabulous Evensong planned for next Wednesday 19th June. Eight singers and double choir music.
Please join us for Evensong at 6.30pm on Wednesday 19th June.

Canticles: Stanford in A
This year is the one hundredth anniversary of his death.
Anthem: Faire is the heaven by William Harris.
The service will open with the responses by William Smith and close with the rousing hymn ‘Stand up! Stand up for Jesus’. Organist James Gough will send us on our way with the Introduction and Fugue from the Sonata in D minor by Frederic Bridge

11/06/2024

Join us for Choral Evensong tomorrow, Wednesday 12th June at 18.30
Statham in E minor
How lovely are the messengers (Mendelssohn)

08/06/2024

Tonight at 18.00

The wonderful Hammig String Quartet will be giving a concert of Mozart and Dvorak on Saturday, 8th June at 18.00
The concert will last an hour.
It is free with a retiring collection.
All are welcome

01/06/2024

Here is one of our regular organists, Roger Sayer, practicing for a concert in Sheffield Cathedral. Roger is currently giving a series of concerts in the UK and abroad to mark the 10th anniversary of the movie Interstellar. Roger is the organist on the original soundtrack composed by Hans Zimmer, which received critical acclaim and nominated for an Academy Award and a Grammy for best score soundtrack

27/05/2024

The wonderful Hammig String Quartet will be giving a concert of Mozart and Dvorak on Saturday, 8th June at 18.00
The concert will last an hour.
It is free with a retiring collection.
All are welcome

25/05/2024

Trinity Sunday
11.00 Solemn Mass will include the haunting chant of 12th century composer Hildegard of Bingen - Praise to the Trinity - alongside movements from Missa Orbis Factor

22/05/2024

A wonderful Choral Evensong from St Matthew’s with Dyson in D and the Never Weather-Beaten Sail set to music by Richard Shephard as part launch of Bach’s Trio Sonatas CD played on the organ by James Gough.
The short ‘thought for the evening’ is given by Dr Peter King

21/05/2024

Choral Evensong this Wednesday at 18.30 includes the launch of Bach’s Trio Sonatas CD played on the organ by James Gough.
A short ‘thought for the evening’ will be given by Dr Peter King

15/05/2024

Next Wednesday, 22nd May at 18.30

15/05/2024

Choral Evensong: tonight at 18.30
Gibbons Short Service
My soul, there is a country (Parry)

All welcome to join us in person or online via our YouTube channel:

St Matthew's Westminster is an Anglican church in the heart of Westminster. We are an inclusive church in the Catholic tradition of the Church of England and...

12/05/2024

Our choir have had a fabulous and very busy weekend singing in Salisbury Cathedral celebrating the work of Stanford, and those he influenced, on the Centenary of his death.

It was a joy to join the Cathedral Choirs (boys, girls and Lay Vicars) for services throughout the weekend, especially in concert and for the closing Choral Evensong of the festival singing Stanford’s Latin Magnificat, Holst’s Nunc Dimittis as well as Lord Thou Hast Been Our Refuge (Vaughan Williams) - an epic end to the festival.

09/05/2024

We have a musical feast tonight to celebrate Ascension Day:
Missa Whitlockensis (Caesar)
God is Gone up (Finzi)
Ascendit Deus (Philips)

All are welcome to join us at 18.30 both in person or online via our YouTube channel

28/04/2024

We are looking forward to this -

Our second concert as part of the Stanford Festival sees our Cathedral Choir joined by the Choir of St Matthew’s Westminster, for a wonderful evening of music🎹.

Join us for an evening celebrating Sir Charles Villiers Stanford’s works as well as the works of some of his esteemed pupils. Hear Stanford’s famous Latin Magnificat and much more from the likes of Howells and Vaughan Williams. 📅11 May 2024, 19:30 🎫: https://bit.ly/3Qa6dJs

📷: Martin Cook

25/04/2024

This Saturday we welcome the Tailleferre Ensemble to St Matthew’s.
The concert begins at 18.00

24/04/2024

Choral Evensong is back!
Join us this evening at 18.30
Magnificat in C (Stanford)
Nunc Dimittis (Holst)
Justorum animae (Stanford)

Livestream on our YouTube channel

13/04/2024

The choir are looking forward to being part of this festival

Coming up next month is ‘Stanford – A Celebration’: a week of music to celebrate the legacy of Sir Charles Villiers Stanford 🎶.

Stanford composed many great works for choir and organ that are performed in services both here and in cathedrals around the world. As 2024 marks the centenary of the death of Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, we will be marking this in a week-long celebration of his music and legacy. 📅 From 6 May – 12 May 2024. Read more: https://bit.ly/4cPaPP8

📷: Martin Cook

31/03/2024

31/03/2024

We have feast of music of music for Easter Sunday morning. All welcome to join in person or online (via our YouTube channel) at 11.00

28/03/2024

Please join us tonight at 18.30 for our Solemn Mass of the Last Supper

Darke in F
Christus factus est (Anerio)
Sacerdotes Domini (Byrd)

The Mass will also be live-streamed for those unable to join us in person

28/03/2024

Stabat Mater by Nils Greenhow
Sung by the sopranos of St Matthew's Westminster with the Hammig String Quartet conducted by the composer, Nils Greenhow
Our thanks to Nils for composing such a beautiful and haunting work for Holy Week

17/03/2024

Details of our Holy Week and Easter services. All welcome

11/03/2024

Join us for Evensong this Wednesday 13th March at 18.30 when we will have the pleasure of welcoming members of the Prayer Book Society. Bradley Smith, Chairman of PBS will be giving us a short ‘thought for the evening’.

09/03/2024

We are looking forward to welcoming Magdalene College Choir, Cambridge on Thursday evening at 19.00

05/03/2024

Join us for the world premier of a new choral work by the young English composer Nils Greenhow. Stabat Mater is scored for three part upper voices accompanied by string quartet.
Here is what Nils says-

When I began to compose this Stabat Mater, I quickly began to realise that I was undertaking one of the most difficult compositional challenges of my career so far. The sheer heaviness and emotional power of the text demanded space and reflection, and thus this 22 minute work has taken well over a year to complete.
The combination of upper voices and string quartet leads to some interesting harmonic textures, and I have particularly enjoyed using the choir as an accompaniment for solo instrument passages, as well as vice versa. There are several passages of intense power and emotion, juxtaposed with sections of fragile and delicate string harmonics.
I am extremely grateful to St Matthew’s, Westminster for this commission and am very much looking forward to it’s premiere, and also returning to the building in which I used to sing regularly when living in London.

It will be sung by the choir of St Matthew’s with the Hammig String Quartet as part of our Holy Week programme.
Please join us for this unique and exciting occasion.