Organist Matthew West started a musical life from the young age of 5 influenced by a very musical family. He began to study the Organ at Wantage Parish Church following which he went on to study the organ during his A levels at Chetham’s school of Music under Christopher Stoke during which he became Junior Organ scholar at the Cathedral.

He is now currently studying in his third year for an undergraduate course at the Royal College of Music. Matthew regularly assists the Wantage Parish by accompanying services on the Organ as well as accompanying Wanstead’s St Lady of Lourdes choir in Sunday services.

Matthew is mostly interested in late romantic French and German music as well as more modern organ works.

Stefan Weidner

Stefan Weidner is a 3rd year undergraduate Piano student at Trinity Laban Conservatoire studying with Professor Douglas Finch.

Born in Stockport, Stefan began playing piano at the age of 6 under the tutorship of Miss Susan Bettaney and continued to study with her when he joined Chethams school of Music at the age of 12.

After Miss Bettaneys’ retirement, Stefan carried on his studies with Miss Gemma Beeson. During his time at Chethams, Stefan was given the opportunity to participate in numerous events and competitions which helped in his development as a classical pianist.

Since starting his undergraduate degree with a scholarship at Trinity Laban in 2020, under the guidance and support of Professor Douglas Finch, Stefan is truly maturing as a musician. In 2021/2022, he performed twice at the Romanian Cultural Institute/Embassy in London, giving debut performances of works by Romanian composer David Balica and performed Franz Liszt’s Vallée d’Obermann and Hans Werne Henze’s Toccata Mistica.

In January of this year, Stefan won the Longmire Beethoven competition at Trinity Laban with his performance of Beethoven Piano sonata no.32, Op.111 in C minor and was selected to perform In the Beethoven Society of Europe Intercollegiate Piano Competition final.

In February 2023, Stefan took part as ensemble pianist and repetiteur in the production of Professor Douglas Finch’s opera Take Care, which tells the story of people suffering from dementia and the work of their carers.

Most recently, at the 2023 New Lights Contemporary Music Festival at Trinity Laban,

Stefan gave the debut performance of Leaps and Flows 26 – Out of the bath and into the oven, composed by English composer Allan Moore. Previously this work has only been reproduced electronically via MIDI devices.

Stefan continues to enjoy not only his solo work but also collaborating with singers. He is looking forward later this year to perform the entire Robert Schumann Dichterliebe Lieder-cycle with tenor Joshua Furtado-Mendes, a student of the Royal Academy of Music.