Music at St. James', South Pasadena

St. James' Episcopal Church, South Pasadena has a 100+ year history of offering sacred music of high quality during worship services - and also many other types of music and performance in events presented by the MUSIC at ST. JAMES program.

The Organ

In addition to the work and offerings of the organized groups listed below, St. James' is now entering Phase 2 of a multi-phase Organ project.

As of mid-November 2025, the church is the proud home of a new custom designed and built digital instrument. After speaking with and getting to know several organ builders, we found Cornel Zimmer Organ Builders of Denver, NC to best understand our needs and visions for the future while respecting, preserving - and in some cases also restoring - our history.

Our new organ, named Cecelia, made her formal debut at the 1st ANNUAL "Holiday Brass in South Pasadena" concert in December 2025. She embraces technology which didn’t exist even twenty years ago and can easily be enhanced in the future. Zimmer has created an instrument that relies on the latest technology to reproduce organ sound while also sitting ready to restore old and accommodate new wind-blown pipes. While initial sound of the new organ is already impressive - serving current congregational needs and those of our larger community - the phased complete vision embraces previous generations of St. James’ history and looks forward to the future by restoring roughly 800 current pipes (from our previous 70+ year old, recently decommissioned instrument) and adding roughly 700 new ones.

This initiative is also about heritage, beauty and access. Zimmer has proposed - for Phase 2 of this project - stunning casework for both the console and the pipe chambers. The design complements and is inspired by the architecture of our historic building - such as the reredos behind the high altar as well as featuring the iconic scallop shell and crosses that are prominent in our small altar, banner and the organ console. Furthermore, when the organ chamber is reconfigured, its updated design will accommodate us addressing more comprehensively the needs of those less abled congregants and other visitors by widening the ramp into the church.

The proceeds of a major festive concert (2ND ANNUAL Holiday Brass in South Pasadena) presented on Monday December 7th at 7pm - featuring five members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Brass section with St. James' own organist and the new organ - will be added to the Fund whose purpose is to help St. James' to deliver Phase 2 of this ambitous, but truly energized, project. Other events will follow in 2027 - to further this important initiative.

St. James' Adult Choir

From September to June the St. James’ adult choir provides music for the 10:15 am Eucharist, as well as special events such as Advent Lessons and Carols (this year at 5pm on Sunday December 13th) and Holy Week services. The choir is open to all who have a sincere desire to assist in leading sung worship; previous vocal experience is helpful but not necessary. The choir rehearses upstairs in St. James’ choir room from 7:00 to 9:00 pm on Wednesdays, and from 9:00 to 9:45 am on Sundays before the 10:15 am Eucharist.

During the summer months (June through August), all are welcome to sing with the choir on a drop-in basis. If you have ever thought about singing in a choir, this is a relaxed, low commitment opportunity to try! The summer choir meets in the sanctuary at 9:30 am each Sunday.

Sample Repertoire

Ash Wednesday: Miserere Mei, Gregorio Allegri

Palm Sunday: Ave Verum Corpus, William Byrd

Maundy Thursday: Drop Slow Tears, Kenneth Leighton; And Can it Be, Dan Forrest

Good Friday: LA Baroque collaboration with eight professional soloists for St. John Passion, Heinrich Schutz; Reproaches, Tomas Luis de Victoria

Great Vigil: God so Loved the World, John Stainer; The Dawning, Richard Webster

Easter Sunday: Alleluia! Hearts to Heaven, W.K. Stanton; Sing Allelu, Ruth Elaine Schram (sung by the St. James’ Choristers)

All Saints: And I Saw a New Heaven, Edgar L. Bainton; Precious Lord, Thomas Dorsey, arr. Arnold Sevier

Christ the King: Unclouded Day, Shawn Kirchner

Advent Lessons and Carols: Ave Maria, Sergei Rachmaninoff; Hymn to the Virgin, Benjamin Britten

Christmas Eve: Hallelujah from Messiah, G.F. Handel; In the Bleak Midwinter, Harold Darke

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Choristers Program

The seasonal choristers program at St. James’ is open to girls and boys (with unchanged voices) ages 7 to 14. Previous singing experience is helpful but not required. The choristers perform in Feast Day services throughout the year.

In addition to preparing music for worship, choristers receive instruction in vocal production, musicianship, sight reading and ensemble singing.

Los Angeles Baroque

Los Angeles Baroque (LAB) is LA’s only community baroque orchestra, directed by violinist Lindsey Strand-Polyak and cellist Alexa Haynes-Pilon.

Founded in 2016, LAB gives dedicated community musicians from across greater Los Angeles regular opportunities to explore repertoire, learn Baroque playing style (suitable for music composed c. 1650-1750) and perform.

LAB gives three main season concerts a year at its home of St. James’, hosts workshops, and undertakes community outreach projects and performance collaborations. Additionally, LAB provides music for select services throughout the liturgical year. LAB's goal is to encourage, support and expand the early music community in Los Angeles, and to be inclusive in reach to give all highly motivated players the opportunity to participate.