Antony Matthews

BA (hons) LRSM
Organist and Choir Director

An experienced organist and choir master, Antony is currently the Director of Music at All Saints' Parish Church, Carshalton.

He is studying for his FRSM with the international concert organist Robert Munns.

Biography

Antony grew up in South London, and his love of music became clear from a very early age when he was spotted at the piano imitating his father simultaneously playing the organ and conducting a choir! For the sake of their ears his parents quickly got him piano lessons, and during his school years he also experimented with the horn and the trombone.

His formative musical education took place at The John Fisher School, Purley; he had organ lessons with the school's organ teacher, Rosemary Nayyar, and later with Nigel McClintock (the Director of Music at Croydon Parish Church).

Antony did the first two years of his Music degree at the University of Exeter, where he studied with Paul Morgan (Organist at Exeter Cathedral). He was also one of the University organ scholars, going on trips with the University Chapel Choir to Exeter, Salisbury and Winchester Cathedrals. At the end of his second year, owing to the imminent closure of Exeter's music department, Antony transferred to complete the final year of his degree at the University of Bristol, where he studied with Dr David Ponsford.

After graduating Antony worked for a year at the Organ Scholar at St Mary's Parish Church, Battersea, before taking up the position of Director of Music at St Joseph's Catholic Church, New Malden.

In January 2012 he was appointed Director of Music at All Saints' Parish Church, Carshalton; with another local musician he also runs the Sutton Chorale, a choir set up to bring singers from various local churches together to sing together.

His recitals include St Michael and All Angels (West Croydon), Bournemouth Oratory, Christ Church (Woking), St Mary's Cathedral (Limerick), All Saints Church (Woking), and he has played Saint-Saens Symphony No 3 in Guildford Cathedral with Guildford Symphony Orchestra. As Organist to the Sutton Chorale he has toured with the choir extensively through the UK and Europe, including singing service at Exeter, Gloucester, Worcester and Bury St Edmunds Cathedrals in England, Wimborne Minster, and trips to Tavarnelle and Rome (including singing Mass at St Peter's Basilica) in Italy, Berlin, Bruges and Oostende, and Limerick and Cork.

Antony is currently studying for his Fellowship of the Royal Schools of Music with the international concert organist Robert Munns.

Recordings

Here is a selection of recordings made for the congregation of All Saints during the Spring of 2020; the videos are available on the church's YouTube page.

Niels Gade:  Festival Prelude on the Choral Lover den Herre (Praise to the Lord the Almighty)

Alexandre Guilmant:  March on a Theme by Handel (Lift up your heads)

Charles Hubert Hastings Parry:  Seven Chorale Preludes (Set 2) - Croft's 136th Hymn Tune (Ye boundless realms of joy)

Johann Sebastian Bach:  O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde gross, BWV622 (O man, bewail thy grievous sing)

Charles Hubert Hastings Parry:  Seven Chorale Preludes (Set 2) - Martyrdom (As pants the hart for cooling streams)

Percy Whitlock:  Pastorale, from Seven Sketches on Verses from the Psalms

Alexandre Guilmant:  Paraphrase on a chorus from Judas Maccabeus (Thine be the glory)

Charles Hubert Hastings Parry:  Seven Chorale Preludes (Set 1) - Rockingham (When I survey the wondrous cross)

Contact me

Email me:  antony@antonymatthews.co.uk