Our church is at the heart of the city centre, and music is at the heart of our regular pattern of worship. Since its founding in 1855, St Matthew’s has maintained a strong musical tradition, which today is primarily led by our adult choir. The choir sings at the 11:00 Mass each Sunday throughout the year and regularly on feast days, performing an extensive repertoire from Plainsong to Viennese Masses to music by living composers.
Join our choir!
We are always looking to welcome new members to join our choir! If you are interested in joining please make yourself known to our team or get in touch here.
Director of Music – Fiona Law
Fiona Law has been with St Matthews since September 2022 as organist and director of music.
Previously she has had a variety of organist roles around Yorkshire and North Notts on the border of Doncaster. She is very happy to be back at a church in Sheffield city centre as this was her birth place. Indeed her first ‘church’ playing role was at a youth church group in Tapton, Sheffield when she was 15, accompanying hymns on piano. Her love of church music has remained ever since.
Fiona also works as an instrumental teacher (piano, woodwind and guitar.)
She plays in an orchestra and swing band and runs her own community band. Her favourite instrument of all however is the King of them all – the organ.
Fiona is using her wide musical skills to build up the musical life at St Matthews with singing and music making throughout the congregation.
She says “I am delighted to be part of this wonderful group of people at St Matthews. The church life here is great and there is always something exciting going on.”
In Fiona’s spare time she enjoys marathon running and country walks with her husband and sprocker spaniel.
Goetze & Gwynn organ
St Matthew’s is extremely proud to be home to a unique, historically inspired organ built by British builders Martin Goetze and Dominic Gwynn. Installed in 1992, the organ prominently stands on the west gallery, in a beautifully crafted case, framed by the tower arch. The instrument is based on the early work of master organ builder Bernard Smith (c.1630 – 1708), who emigrated to England in 1667 and became organ builder to Charles II.
The organ, which plays a prominent role in our liturgy, is based on Smith’s final work in Holland at the Grote Kerk, Edam (1656) and his first work in England, at the King’s Private Chapel in Windsor Castle (1673). This instrument is the only example of its kind in Sheffield, and is particularly well suited to music from the North German and Early English organ schools, alongside the music of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries.
If you are interested in playing our organ, please contact us here.
Specification:
Upper manual
Prestant 8’
Holpijp 8’
Octaaf4’
Sesquialter* I-II
Mixture III
Trompet bas* 8’
Trompet disk* 8’
Lower manual
Quintadeen 8’
Roerfluit 4’
Octaaf* 2’
Pedal
Bourdon 16’
Fluit 8’
Couplers
I – II I – P II – P (foot pedals)
* shows stops available on the other manual if half-drawn