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We offer daily services and a cultural programme of talks, events and concerts. We seek to be a welcoming space for people to reflect, create and debate
St James’s Piccadilly, The Sixteen and the Genesis Foundation have joined forces in a five-year partnership celebrating the power of music to inspire, connect and bring people together. Discover extraordinary performances, new music and opportunities for the next generation of musicians.
At Christmas, St James’s is a place where everyone is welcome. For people facing loneliness, homelessness, poor mental health, financial hardship or displacement, our doors can offer something as simple – and as important – as a warm welcome, practical support and a place where they are known and treated with dignity.
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.
We host a year-round creative programme encompassing music, visual art and spoken word.
We offer hospitality to people going through homelessness and speak out on issues of injustice, especially concerning refugees, asylum, racial justice, and LGBTQ+ issues.
St James’s strives to advocate for earth justice and to develop deeper connections with nature.
We aim to be a place where you can belong. We have a unique history, and the beauty of our building is widely known. Our community commits to faith in action: social and environmental justice; creativity. and the arts
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 £5,000 each day to keep the doors of St James’s open to all who already need us.
A reimagined St James’s realised. A redesigned garden, courtyard and new building capacity—all fully accessible— will provide beautiful spaces for all as well as improving our environmental performance.
Whether shooting a blockbuster TV series or creating a unique corporate event, every hire at St James’s helps our works within the community.
St James's Church 197 Piccadilly London W1J 9LL
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St James’s Piccadilly, The Sixteen and the Genesis Foundation have joined forces in a five-year partnership celebrating the power of music to inspire, connect and bring people together. Discover extraordinary performances, new music and opportunities for the next generation of musicians, rooted in one of London’s most distinctive historic churches.
For centuries, St James’s Piccadilly has been a place where music, art and ideas meet. Now, a new five-year partnership with The Sixteen, supported by the Genesis Foundation, builds on this rich creative heritage and looks towards the future.
Bringing together The Sixteen’s internationally acclaimed musicians, St James’s historic setting and the Genesis Foundation’s commitment to nurturing artistic talent, the partnership will create opportunities to experience choral music in new and inspiring ways.
The programme includes performances, new choral commissions, Choral Evensongs, learning activities and opportunities for emerging musicians through Genesis Sixteen and its alumni.
At its heart is a shared belief that musical excellence and accessibility belong together: that extraordinary music can enrich lives, connect communities and welcome new audiences into the world of choral music.
A new home for choral music in the heart of London.
Experience the distinctive sound of The Sixteen and its wider musical community through concerts, Choral Evensongs and the annual Choral Pilgrimage. The programme will also include an annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, beginning in December 2027.
The partnership will support new choral commissions performed by The Sixteen and Genesis Sixteen, bringing new voices and ideas into the choral tradition and creating music for audiences today and in the future.
Through Genesis Sixteen, The Sixteen’s free young artists’ programme for 18–23-year-olds, the partnership will support emerging musicians and provide performance opportunities for young singers and alumni.
From the Sounds Sublime choral festival to learning and participation activities within the parish, the partnership will create opportunities for people to encounter, enjoy and take part in music, whatever their experience.
Extraordinary voices. Five centuries of music.
Founded in 1979 by Harry Christophers CBE, The Sixteen is renowned for its performances and recordings of choral music spanning more than five centuries. Through its concerts, commissions and work with young artists, the ensemble continues to inspire audiences and champion the future of choral music.
A historic church with a creative spirit.
Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and consecrated in 1684, St James’s has long been a meeting place for artists, musicians, thinkers and people seeking a more just and compassionate world. Known as the artists’ church, it brings together worship, creativity, culture and a commitment to social and environmental justice.
Supporting artistic talent and new work.
Established by John Studzinski in 2001, the Genesis Foundation supports the performing, visual and literary arts through partnerships that nurture artists and creative professionals. Its longstanding commitment to new sacred choral music makes it a natural partner in this collaboration.
Join us for concerts, Choral Evensongs, new commissions and Sounds Sublime, our celebration of the passion, joy and diversity of the human voice.
Tuesday 27 October 7pm
World renowned choir The Sixteen perform some of the finest choral music of the Portuguese and English Renaissance.
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Saturday 28 November 10am
Get into the festive spirit with this fun and interactive concert for 0-5 year-olds and their parents/carers.
Thursday 3 December 6.15pm
Join us in collaboration with The Sixteen, for a spectacular Christmas celebration, bringing together timeless carols, much-loved festive favourites and beautiful choral music.
The future of music at St James’s is closely connected to the renewal of its historic home.
Through the Wren Project, St James’s Piccadilly is undertaking a once-in-a-generation restoration that will renew the church’s organ and musical life, helping to sustain this remarkable building for future generations.
The restoration will bring a period of change. During the planned building closure from 2027, the partnership between St James’s and The Sixteen will continue at St Pancras Church on Euston Road, ensuring that the music continues while work takes place at Piccadilly.
Together, the partnership and the Wren Project reflect a shared commitment to preserving musical heritage while creating opportunities for new music, new talent and future audiences.
