Music
Music is an integral part of the life of St Augustine’s and we are proud to have a strong musical tradition incorporating liturgical music and occasional concerts.
It was our Patron Saint, St Augustine who brought Gregorian chant to England when he landed in AD 597 on the Kentish shores nearby: this style of music not only resonates through the annals of English history and the Western musical tradition but is also maintained in our church’s Sacred Liturgy to this day.
With crucial support from the Friends of St Augustine, Henry Willis and Sons led a complete restoration of the organ in 2018, skilfully integrating a custom console, designed in the Gothic Revival style, into its new location in the Lady Chapel.
The provision of traditional Sacred Music at the Shrine of St Augustine is kindly sponsored by The Latin Mass Society (Charity number: 248388).
People
Matthew Schellhorn, Director of Music
Matthew Schellhorn was appointed Director of Music at the Shrine of St Augustine in 2023 having spent many years active in the field of Sacred Music, most notably as Director of Music for London at the Latin Mass Society from 2015 to 2021. In his career as a concert pianist, he has been a leading performer for over twenty years, regularly appearing at major venues and festivals and recording numerous critically acclaimed albums, including two recently released Howells Piano Music volumes for Naxos. He served as a Council Member of the FIUV from 2013 to 2015, playing a significant role in their General Assemblies and providing music for Populus Summorum Pontificum pilgrimages. He is a member of the Faculty of Music at the University of Cambridge, and is presently conducting research in contemporary piano music at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Marianne Robinson, Organ Scholar
Marianne studies organ with Paul Stubbings. She is currently in the Sixth Form at the Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys in Canterbury having previously been a Music Scholar (2019–23) at St Lawrence College in Ramsgate. She recently performed in Canterbury Cathedral and on her school’s tour to the Isle of Wight, and as violinist she plays in the Kent County Youth Orchestra and is Leader of her school orchestra. She has won several local music prizes including the Young Tradition Award in the Broadstairs Folk Week (2022) as well as the Instrumental Cup for best string performance (2022, 2023, 2024) and the Valerie Jones Trophy for piano performance (2024) in the Thanet Music and Drama Festival. Her A-level studies are in Music, History of Art and English Literature, after which she hopes to study at a music conservatoire.
