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Experience World-Class Music Close to Home

Unless noted, all concerts take place Fridays at 8 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Church, 1031 Bienveneda Ave. in Pacific Palisades – an easy drive from anywhere in western Los Angeles county.

  • Ample free parking with easy access to the venue
  • A casual and inviting atmosphere in a stunning architectural space
  • Free refreshments at intermission
  • Nearby restaurants and cafes for pre-concert dining

Forget the hassle of getting crosstown on a Friday night for a concert. Come to Pacific Palisades. Have a light supper in Brentwood, Malibu, Santa Monica, Topanga or Pacific Palisades and pop over to the Music Guild for an eight o’clock concert. (Find a restaurant using Yelp.)

World-Class music in a casual and inviting atmosphere and a stunning architectural space.

St. Matthew’s Church stands on a 30-acre wooded Las Pulgas Canyon property.

The 1978 Brentwood/Malibu fire destroyed the former St. Matthew’s Church building that had stood since 1953. The architectural firm Moore, Ruble, Yudell was selected to design and build the new church and, after a series of workshops with the congregation, a design was settled upon and construction began. The C.B. Fisk Organ Co. of Gloucester, Massachusetts, was selected to build a new organ for the space. The church was dedicated in March 1983 and the organ was installed in 1985.

The building was hailed as a landmark within the architectural community and was featured on the cover of “Architectural Digest” in 1984.

From the outset, there was a high priority on music and the parish has been a welcoming and supportive partner for the Music Guild since the Guild’s founding in 1985. With its lively and reverberant acoustics, warm and inviting interior, and semi-circular seating, audience members feel close to the performers as well as one another. A large, accessible parking lot and multiple ramps make access to the building easy for all patrons. An expansive patio is conducive to conversation during Music Guild concert intermissions which always feature free refreshments.

The organ, built by C.B. Fisk, is recognized as one of the finest tracker instruments on the West Coast.

The Fisk organ, a gift to the church and the community by Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt S. Pardee, Mr. and Mrs. J. Douglas Pardee, Mr. and Mrs. George M. Pardee Jr., and Marjorie Pardee Farrand, was given in memory of their mother, Mary Alice Swift Pardee.

C.B. Fisk’s Opus 86 is a mechanical-action instrument of 30 stops and 37 ranks distributed among two manuals and pedal. The console is of mahogany and is attached to the 33-foot, red oak, freestanding case. Keys are of grenadill and sharps are of rosewood capped with cow-bone.

The specifications reflect an eclectic instrument – classic Charles Fisk – but one based on the concept of an expanded Classical-French design.

For more information on the Parish of St. Matthew Church, visit their website.

 

Images courtesy of Colins Lozado/Moore Ruble Yudell,
Chuck Gardner Photography, and Thomas Neenan

Covid Policy

St. Matthew’s Music Guild and St. Matthew’s Church are committed to making sure our audience members and musicians have an enjoyable and safe concert experience.

We recommend you consider wearing a mask for your own safety and that of others. However, masks are not required.

We will continue to follow the advice of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and update our policies accordingly.

Please stay at home if your are feeling unwell or if you have been infected with COVID-19 within the last 10 days.

We would like to remind you that it is always a good policy to wash your hands with soap and water frequently.