Founded over 40 years ago, St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra performs at St Matthew-In-The-City, Hobson Street in Auckland City, and is currently Auckland’s longest established chamber orchestra. Beginning as a string group formed to accompany performances of Bach Cantatas, the orchestra has developed into a classical symphony orchestra performing a wide repertoire of music. St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra is a non-profit cooperative made up of musicians who all play for their love of music. Orchestra members also contribute to all aspects of the Orchestra’s organisation.

Although it is an amateur orchestra, St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra rehearses and performs like a professional one. It rehearses for just one week – intensively – before each concert and rather than a resident conductor, engages a different guest conductor for each concert. This provides concertgoers with an exciting variety of chamber music performed to a very high standard in a dynamic venue.