Our Music Foundation

St Matthew’s has a proud musical tradition rooted in the performance of plainchant and polyphony. In 2020, our Music Foundation was established to serve the needs of the church’s liturgies and make accessible our building to the local community through concerts and other events.

There are four choirs within the Music Foundation:

The Schola Cantorum, an auditioned, voluntary ensemble of 10-12 singers (including Choral Scholars) of a high standard, which sings the Sunday liturgy and Feasts throughout the year. The Schola offers annual choral scholarships in various voice parts;
The Olympia Singers, a larger ensemble, which focuses on concert performances at St Matthew’s, more widely in London and further afield;
The Youth Choir, which provides singing opportunities for boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 18;
Aves Cantates, a non-auditioned community choir which meets weekly on Thursday evenings (in term time) and sings music from Byrd to the Beatles, offering local residents a relaxed and informative atmosphere in which they can further their musical skills.

The Music Foundation is led by our Director of Music, Tom Williams (founder/director of The Erebus Ensemble and former Choral Director at St Martin-in-the-Fields), who is assisted by our Organist and Assistant Director of Music, James Furniss-Roe (Southwell Minster and Royal Holloway Chapel).

The Schola Cantorum

Our flagship choir, the Schola Cantorum is an auditioned, voluntary ensemble of 10-12 singers (including Choral Scholars) of a high standard, which sings the Sunday liturgy and Feasts throughout the year. The Schola offers annual choral scholarships in various voice parts

The Foundation also enjoys a close relationship with the choirs of St Luke’s, Chelsea and All Saints’, Fulham where they combine termly for Evensong or Vespers. We also provide musicians for other churches under the care of the Bishop of Fulham and frequently sings at Patronal Festivals, carol services and other liturgies at these partner churches.

We are always keen to hear from singers with an interest in auditioning for our choirs. Please contact our Director of Music for further information.

Alma Redemptoris Mater

Schola Cantorum performing Palestrina, Spring 2021

Choral Scholarships and Choir auditions

The Olympia Singers

The Olympia Singers is a larger ensemble with Schola members at its core, which focuses on concert performance at St Matthew’s and further afield. The group has recently performed at the Clifton International Festival of Music in Bristol (Handel's Dixit Dominus, Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers and Mozart's Requiem), at the Lambeth Palace Library (Cantate Domino - a concert of music from the Lambeth and Eton Choirbook collections), and the Fitzrovia Chapel (Artist Anna Klein's recent book launch).

Forthcoming events include a "Celebration of Gustav Holst" (a former resident of the Parish and Director of Music at St Paul's Girls' School) combined with the other choirs of the Music Foundation.

Olympia Singers performing Taverner's Dum Transisset Sabatum, February 2020

St Matthew's Youth Choir

Our Youth Choir provides singing opportunities for boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 18. The group is currently project-based and works towards performances at the Christmas Carol Service and Summer concert.

We are in the process of increasing the scope of the Youth Choir, and hope to establish a weekly rehearsal with further participation in liturgies and concerts in the coming terms. Forthcoming projects include a performance of Britten's A Ceremony of Carols during Advent.

Former members of the Youth Choir have gone on to sing at choral scholarship level at universities including Cambridge, Edinburgh and Exeter.

If you are interested in your child joining the Youth Choir, please contact our Director of Music for further information and an informal audition.

Aves Cantates

Aves Cantates is a non-auditioned community choir which meets weekly in term time and sings music from Byrd to the Beatles, offering local residents a relaxed and informative atmosphere in which they can further their musical skills.

Recent performances have included Stainer's Crucifixion, Chilcott's Five Passion Hymns, and a range of pop repertoire arranged for four-part choir, including Yazoo's Only You, Billy Joel's And So It Goes and the Beach Boys' Barbara Ann. In September 2024, Aves Cantates joins with the Olympia Singers in a "Celebration of Gustav Holst" in his anniversary year. Repertoire will include Holst's Nunc Dimittis, Ave Maria and his much-loved arrangement of Swansea Town.

Aves is always pleased to hear from potential new members. If you have sung in the past but are a little out of practice, or have a love of music but never sung before, you would be most welcome to join us on Thursday evenings at church (7pm-8.45pm). Refreshments are usually included and always encouraged! If you would like to join, please do turn up, or contact our Director of Music for further information.

Organs

Norman and Beard (1904)

The primary organ boasts a prestigious Grade II* designation from the British Institute of Organ Studies, acknowledging its excellence as a 1903 Norman & Beard instrument with a unique pitch preservation. Its original integrity remains largely intact, with all speaking stops in working order. However, persistent issues such as ciphers and sticky keys underscore the urgent need for a comprehensive restoration. A fundraising campaign is currently underway to support this endeavour.

This organ, though conventional for its era, distinguishes itself primarily with the inclusion of the Keraulophon stop, which enjoyed a fleeting period of popularity. According to certain experts, its debut in the St. Paul's, Knightsbridge organ can be traced back to 1843. However, by the time of our instrument's creation, the Keraulophon was nearing obsolescence. As noted in the Encyclopedia of Organ Stops, Wedgwood (1905) observed its rapid decline, while Audsley (1921) mourned its ultimate demise.

Positive Organ

We are fortunate to possess not one, but two Keraulophons, with the second acquired from Mansfield College, Oxford, a few years ago. The instrument's case is a remarkable piece of craftsmanship, originally constructed by Eagles of Hackney Road, London, showcasing an eclectic blend of 18th-century motifs. It boasts rococo shades on the dumb pipes, baroque cherubs' heads, and intricate "gothic" tracery within the pipe work, encompassing nearly every 18th-century style except Chinoiserie.

This organ, featuring a single manual and a detachable pedal-board, serves a vital role in accompanying hymns during Advent and Lent when the primary organ is inactive, allowing the congregation's plainchant to be sung unaccompanied. Additionally, it finds occasional use in concerts.

The instrument's specification includes:

Stopped diapason (bass)
Dulciana
Open diapason
Clarabella
Stopped diapason (treble)
Principal (bass)
Principal (treble)
Keraulophon

With the installation of a new electric blower, replacing one that seemed almost as ancient as the instrument itself, the organ's delightful voicing is now more readily audible.