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We offer daily services and a creative programme of talks, events and concerts. We seek to be a welcoming space for people to reflect, create and debate.
Come and celebrate the hope and light that Christmas brings each winter
St James’s hosts inclusive services and a cultural programme. We seek to be a welcoming space for people to reflect, create and debate.
St James’s is a place to explore, reflect, pray, and support all who are in need. We are a Church of England parish in the Anglican Communion. This is a place for everyone who’s wondering about life’s big questions and striving for a better world.
We host a year-round creative programme encompassing music, visual art and spoken word, drawing on St James’s rich cultural history including artists, writers and musicians Mary Beale, Mary Delany, William Blake, Ottobah Cugoano and Leopold Stokowski.
We try to put our faith into action by educating ourselves and speaking out on issues of injustice, especially concerning refugees, asylum, earth and racial justice, and LGBTQ+ issues.
We aspire to be a home where everyone can belong. We’re known locally and globally for our unique history and beauty, as well as faith in action, creativity and the arts, and a commitment to social and environmental justice.
We strive to be a Eucharist-centred, diverse and inclusive Christian community promoting life in abundance, wellbeing and dignity for all.
St James’s Piccadilly has been at the heart of its community since 1684. We invite you to play your part in securing this historic place for generations to come.
It costs us £3,500 per day to enable us to keep our doors open to all who need us
Your donation will help us restore our garden in Piccadilly as part of The Wren Project, making it possible for us to welcome over 300,000 people from all faiths and walks of life seeking tranquillity and inspiration each year.
St James's Church 197 Piccadilly London W1J 9LL
Directions on Google Maps
There are currently six Singing Scholars and two Instrumental Scholars. The initiative is an embodiment of St James’s mission to be a creative and open-hearted church.
St James’s has a long tradition of music, both religious and secular, and the support of benefactors has made our scholarship programme possible. We are delighted to offer musicians at an early stage in their careers an opportunity to train and perform together in the marvellous acoustic of the church while in receipt of scholarships worth £2,750 (singing) and £1,375 (instrumental) for the academic year.
The Instrumental Scholars play in church once or twice a month to enhance the music at our Sunday morning services. The Singing Scholars sing every week on Sunday morning and sing at all the church festivals and at a monthly Choral Evensong on Sunday afternoon. They also take it in turns to act as Cantor on Sunday mornings and to be the solo singer for our contemplative Tuesday evening Sanctuary services.
We aim for our scholars to reflect a wide range of musical backgrounds and encourage them to present two or three concerts a year in the church. It is also anticipated that there will be a scholars summer tour.
We encourage scholars to take the opportunity to give a recital as part of our lunchtime series, and Singing Scholars are invited to sing at special events organised by our Development Team.
It is important to St James’s that we are representative of people and communities across society. We actively welcome applications from people who are currently underrepresented in our community, including people with global majority heritage, people with lived experience of poverty and people who identify as LGBTQ+.
Three years ago, St James’s embarked on a new music scholarship programme for young musicians. Singing and playing at services on a Sunday and at the Sanctuary Eucharist on Tuesday evenings, the group has quickly established itself as a much loved aspect of St James’s life. Unusually for a scholarship programme, we ask them to sing not only the usual choral repertoire but responsorial psalms each week and in addition jazz and more relaxed music too. And to join on Sunday mornings together with our Lay Singers, ensuring an inclusive music offering for our main act of worship.
Over the past three years the programme has expanded, adding Choral Evensongs and concerts, organ and conducting scholars as well as instrumental, and each fresh cohort bring with them their own talent and commitment which enriches our worship and music programme. A new tradition of a summer tour has been established, which includes past scholars as well as present. This year, the group have fund raised for themselves the costs of accommodation and travel. It is wonderful to think of our St James’s musicians out and about, bringing this excellent music and commitment to diversity to other parts of the UK. If you are interested in supporting this programme into the future, we need funds to continue in 2024-5.
Please contact development@sjp.org.uk if you’d like to help.
The Singing Scholars of St James’s Piccadilly are off on their third summer choir tour. Having been to the West and the East of England they are now venturing to the heights of the North, singing at three Evensongs at Ripon Cathedral, another Evensong at Selby Abbey and at a very special unique service of Compline within the beautiful ruins of Fountains Abbey.
Compline is a monastic service that would’ve been sung at the Abbey every evening until its reformation in 1539. To be able to sing in this building is truly extraordinary. The singers cannot wait to take St James’s on the road, and sing in these sublime buildings.
