O God, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven: Be ever present with your servants who seek through art and music to perfect the praises offered by your people on earth; and grant to them even now glimpses of your beauty, and make them worthy at length to behold it unveiled for evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. -BCP p819

Adult Choir: Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Choir Room.  On the first Thursday of the month, we conclude choir rehersal with a sung Compline service in Hallam Chapel (all are invited!)

We are always looking to add new singers—it’s an important part of our worship. For additional information about joining the choir, e-mail Andrew Howell at a.howell1@cox.net.

The Choral Scholar Program at St. James Episcopal Church

In January of 2011, the Vestry and Clergy of St James approved the creation and funding of a choral scholar program as both a boost to our music program and an outreach program to the local collegiate community. We offer competitive stipends for choral scholars to serve as section leaders for our volunteer adult choir. The scholars are expected to sing all Sundays that school is in session as well as weekly Thursday evening rehearsals with the choir. It is very important that anyone applying for these positions be able to read music well enough to learn their parts outside of rehearsal and to come fully prepared to each rehearsal and service. As well as providing leadership in choral music, there is ample opportunity for solos and some choral conducting if desired. 

We are always interested in hearing from new applicants. Contact Andrew Howell at a.howell1@cox.net or 401-864-8066 for more information or to schedule an audition.

Current Choral Scholars and Bios:

Soprano: Hallie Grossman - Connecticut College '16

Altos: Genvieve Ashley-Spitale - University of Rhode Island '08 and Annie Mitchell - Connecticut College '13

Annie: Annie Mitchell is a senior at Connecticut College and hails from the mountains of southern Vermont. She is double majoring in Hispanic Studies and Economics. Annie's musical journey began at the tender age of six, when she started taking piano lessons. In addition to piano, Annie has played the clarinet and tenor saxophone in concert bands and jazz ensembles. Currently, she sings alto in the Connecticut College Chamber Choir. Her favorite pieces to play on the piano are Mozart's Turkish March and his Fantasia in D minor, and her favorite note to sing is either an A or an F.

Tenors: Kevin Irakoze - Connecticut College '16 and Ben Zacharia - Connecticut College '13

Kevin: "I was born and raised in Burundi, an East African country. While attending a minor seminary, I was part of our church choir for six years. After finishing High School, I moved to Swaziland where I studied Music for two years as part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Currently, I am studying Voice with Jurate Svedaite-Waller and I am also part of the Connecticut College Chamber Choir. I plan to major in Music and take my skills back to my home country to pursue a career in vocal performance."

Ben: "I am a senior at Connecticut College majoring in music composition and minoring in computer science. I have sung in choir nonstop since the turn of the millenium. I plays piano and I am the musical director of the on-campus a capella group "The Williams Street Mix". I live in the suburbs of New York City and am an avid Radiohead fan."

Bass: Ryan Foley - Connecticut College '13

Ryan: Bass Ryan Foley is a senior Economics and Music double major at Connecticut College from Wolcott CT, has a wide breadth of musical experience: in high school, he won regional awards for his performance in musical theater, sang in the CMEA Regional & All-State choruses, and performed at Carnegie Hall under the direction of Dr. Kirby Shaw. Now, at Connecticut College, he studies voice with Jurate Svedaite-Waller, is a frequent soloist of the college's chamber choir, and has been a member and musical director of his all-male a cappella group, Co Co Beaux. Additionally, Ryan sings opera professionally with the Connecticut Lyric Opera: he made his professional debut at age nineteen as Sciarrone in Puccini's Tosca, and has also appeared in Otello (Montano), L'Heure Espagnole (Don Inigo Gomez), and The Magic Flute. Ryan will be performing Zuniga in their production of Carmen this fall. He's been with St. James since January of 2011 and is very excited for another year of beautiful music with the church choir!

Andrew Howell, Organist and Choirmaster, received his Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Master of Music in Choral Conducting and Organ Performance from the University of Rhode Island. Andrew is currently Music Director of the 190-voice Chorus of Westerly, Director of the University Chorus at the University of Rhode Island, Organist and Choirmaster at St. James Episcopal Church in New London, Connecticut, and also serves as Music Director and Organist at the Watch Hill Chapel in Westerly, RI during the summer months. Andrew has worked with a number of choral organizations and churches in Rhode Island and Connecticut – as Music Director of the Stonington Choral Society, Organist and Choir Director of the Episcopal Cathedral in Providence, and Organist for the Anglican Singers. Beyond his work with established choral ensembles, Andrew regularly organizes groups of talented local singers as the St. James Festival Choir for concerts of sacred and secular choral music, both accompanied and a cappella. In 2009, Andrew co-founded the Eastern Connecticut Children’s Chorus for children ages 8 to 16 with the mission “to attain a high level of quality music making, while providing a foundation of music literacy and proper vocal technique to enable a life of musical enjoyment and choral appreciation for both our singers and the community in which we sing.” Andrew lives in Westerly, RI with his wife Emily and their three children: Sadie, Rowan, and Henry.

2012-2013 Evensongs at St. James

(Sundays at 5:00 p.m.)

See above for list of dates.

St. James is blessed to host The Anglican Singers, an independently organized choir-in-residence who are dedicated to the English choral tradition. The Anglican Singers have been artists-in-residence since 1997 and sing the majority of Evensong services each year at St. James Church, as well as the annual Service of  Lessons and Carols for Advent. Members of this auditioned 30 member group are directed by Kevin Jones with organist Joseph Ripka. Click here to learn more about this talented organization.

St. James Episcopal Church has a long-established tradition for musical excellence. The organ, an Ernest M. Skinner, Opus 220 built in 1914, is one of the finest instruments in New England, and was donated to the Parish by local philanthropist and railroad magnate, Morton Plant in memory of his wife. The inscription on the memorial plaque designed by Gorham Company-New York reads “To the Praise and Glory of God and in the loving memory of Nellie Capron Plant”. Opus 220 has 43 ranks of pipes with four divisions and pedal, and contains 2680 pipes. Major tonal changes were done by the Möller Company in 1952.

The organ was reconditioned in 2002 by the Foley-Baker Organ Company. This work involved removal of the entire instrument for shop restoration including every valve, pouch, bellows and pneumatic device. All the pipes were removed, washed and regulated. The organ's original mechanical systems were replaced with state-of-the-art electronic switching that includes recall and playback of performances precisely as originally played by the organist.