Music at Choral Services
Our monthly lists contain a comprehensive list of the music at St James’ in the coming months.
| Image | Title | Link |
|---|---|---|
 | Music for December 2024 |
Upcoming Choral Services and Events
Nine Lessons and Carols
Sunday 22 December, 2024
7:30 pm
–
9:30 pm
St James’ Church
Choral Eucharist
Sunday 22 December, 2024
11:00 am
–
12:30 pm
St James’ Church
Holy Eucharist
Sunday 22 December, 2024
8:00 am
–
9:00 am
St James’ Church
Choral Matins
Sunday 22 December, 2024
9:30 am
–
10:30 am
St James’ Church
Night Eucharist of the Nativity
Tuesday 24 December, 2024
10:30 pm
–
12:00 am
St James’ Church
Christingle
Tuesday 24 December, 2024
6:15 pm
–
7:00 pm
St James’ Church
Concerts
The Choir of St James’
The Choir of St James’, King Street, Sydney is one of the oldest musical establishments in Australia, and is linked to the earliest days of the colony of New South Wales. Indeed, some of its early members were convicts. For much of its almost two hundred years of ministry the Choir has been regarded as one of Australia’s foremost Anglican choirs.
This has continued to the present day where the Choir consists of around a dozen professional adult singers, and who are an eclectic mix of instrumentalists, vocal soloists, teachers, jazz musicians, composers, artistic administrators, musical theatre performers and lawyers. The Choir itself maintains a regular schedule of weekly choral services including Wednesday evensong and Sunday Choral Eucharist, as well as special services (weddings, funerals, state funerals and memorials) and recordings, broadcasts and interstate and overseas tours. It has become known and highly regarded for its artistically outstanding performances, from small choral pieces to large-scale choral and orchestral works and new Australian works. The Choir presents an annual series of three Orchestral Masses in January, a Concert Series of six concerts throughout the year, and a Bach Cantata series with BachBand@St James’, where, four times a year, a Cantata by J.S. Bach is performed in a liturgical setting, modelled on the Lutheran Service of Vespers.
The Choir enjoys regular collaborations with international groups such as The Tallis Scholars, The King’s Singers, The Gabrieli Consort, and works with Opera Australia, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australian Baroque Brass, The Australian Haydn Ensemble, and soloists Yvonne Kenny, Greta Bradman and Teddy Tahu Rhodes.
The Choir of St James’ made its debut at City Recital Hall in April 2017, performing J.S. Bach’s St John Passion, returning in 2018 to perform Handel’s Messiah with BachBand@St James’. In both 2017 and 2018, it travelled to Gallipoli to sing at the ANZAC Day Dawn Service, and in 2018 performed to critical acclaim at the Coriole Music Festival in Adelaide, and in Hobart at Festival of Voices .
The St James’ Singers
The St James’ Singers are a voluntary choir that sing once a month at the 10am Choral Eucharist and 6:16pm Wednesday Choral Evensong. The St James’ Singers are the second choir of the parish, formed in 2010 to offer parishioners and others with an interest in choral singing an opportunity to learn liturgical repertoire and gain experience in leading services.
If you miss singing in a choir, used to sing in a choir, have past experiences in choral singing or are new to choral music and want to learn about choral singing within a liturgical context, this is the perfect opportunity for you! If you would like to audition, please email Thomas Wilson at Thomas.Wilson@sjks.org.au or email Marko Sever at marko.sever@sjks.org.au
Thomas Wilson
Director of Music
Thomas Wilson was appointed Director of Music at St James’ Church, King Street in August 2024. He was previously Director of Music at St Mary’s Cathedral for thirteen years before moving to New York in 2023 to become the Founding President and Master of Chapel Music for the School of Sacred Music–an education based project which aims to revitalize the choral tradition in worship services.
As Director of Music at St Mary’s Cathedral from 2010–2022, Thomas Wilson established a regular schedule of daily choral services, and oversaw the development of the busiest and most comprehensive Cathedral Music program in Australia. Thomas conducted the Cathedral Choir in concerts and festivals throughout Australia, Belgium, and Italy. Under his direction the choir featured in broadcasts on Channel 7, and ABC television and radio, recorded several CDs, and collaborated with some of Australia’s finest orchestras, choirs, and solo artists.
In 2003, Thomas moved from his native New Zealand to the UK to study organ at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He was appointed Organist and Assistant Director to the Choir of Ealing Abbey before becoming Assistant Organist at Westminster Cathedral, where the famed Cathedral Choir sings daily Vespers and Mass. Thomas subsequently became Westminster Cathedral’s first lay Precentor, with responsibility for planning and coordinating the Cathedral’s Liturgy, in addition to his duties as Assistant Organist.
Recent solo organ performances have included recitals at St George’s Cathedral, Perth, St Peter’s Cathedral, Adelaide, and a special liturgical performance of Marcel Dupré’s Chemin de la Croix at St Agnes’ Church, New York City, on Good Friday 2024.
Marko Sever
Organist and Assistant Director of Music
The Australian organist, Marko Sever, has emerged as a powerful presence in the organ world. Equally at home in the concert hall and in the liturgy, his virtuosic performances have taken him to some of the most prestigious venues across Europe and Australasia.
Marko has recently returned to his home country of Australia, having spent six years working and studying in London, gaining experience at the highest level of the English Cathedral tradition. His time in the UK concluded with two years at Westminster Cathedral, where he regularly accompanied and directed the famed Cathedral Choir. While at the Cathedral, he recorded his debut CD, Symphonie-Passion, on the Cathedral’s world-famous Grand Organ, considered the crowning achievement of Henry Willis III.
A prizewinning Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, Marko’s repertoire spans five centuries of the finest music written for the organ.
James Brew
Organ Scholar
Beginning his musical education with Sydney Children’s Choir at the age of 6, James began piano lessons in the same year, and tuba lessons not long thereafter. His choral career has taken him on tour, performing solos with the Vienna Boys’ Choir. An avid multi-instrumentalist, James’ performances range from high modernist vocal works, to some of the most virtuosic renaissance recorder repertoire.
James has also emerged as one of Australia’s premier young composers, most recently representing the Pacific region as a songwriter for the Commonwealth ‘Year of the Youth’ Anthem. He has won awards in several national and international competitions, and had his piece ‘Starlight’ performed at the Sydney Opera House in 2018.
James has always been drawn to liturgical music, which led him to join the Choir of St James’ as a Tenor Choral Scholar at the age of 15. Still regularly singing with the Choir, James is very excited to be embarking on a new chapter as Organ Scholar from August 2023.
Outside of his musical endeavours, he has represented his school in fencing, rowing, linguistics, and athletics. James also enjoys painting, drawing, and writing poetry.
Bicentennial Pipe Organ
In 2024 we installed a brand new pipe organ in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the consecration of St James’ King Street. The organ, built by Dobson Pipe Organ Builders of Lake City, Iowa, is Sydney’s newest pipe organ and regularly played for services, recitals, and special events.