Mr. F.W. Dawkins, the organist 1877

The first organist of St. James's Church was William Singleton, born in 1852. When he died in 1877, Mr. Dawkins became organist. He resigned in 1911 having spent thirty four years giving faithful, patient and careful work, which was thoroughly appreciated by every member of the congregation. Mr. H. T. Gilberthorpe, who took over from him, had "considerable experience with testimonials of the highest order" and was selected with very great care from about sixty applicants. There were regular Sunday evening organ recitals but in 1917 he resigned his position as organist after “offering his services to the Army as an Instructor in Musketry”.

Mr. Russe, "F.R.C.O., &c.", was appointed as his replacement. Both he and the choir frequently received praise from the vicar. Revd. Coad Pryor congratulated them in 1919 “for the excellent rendering of the ‘Crucifixion’ on Good Friday, and the musical portions of the Easter Services, it reflected great credit on the singers and their teacher. Again I would ask for more adult members for the choir, Mr. Russe is willing to train, free of cost, anyone likely to make a useful chorister” and again ".... deserve our best thanks for the excellent way in which they rendered the musical portion of the services".

Mr. Lower was appointed in 1932 from forty-three applications. He was "young, keen and energetic, with a desire for the reverent rendering of the musical portion of the services". Congregational singing practice after evensong was introduced in 1933 to help the congregations join in the singing "more heartily" and the following year the programme of hymns and music was published each month in the magazine. Mr. C. Haydn-Bull, M.I.G.C.M., took over in January 1948.

The organist in 1959

During Revd. Brunt's incumbency there was a succession of organists. Mr. R. E. Bougourd was appointed in June 1955, "his enthusiasm and knowledge making themselves felt, to the great benefit of both Choir and Congregation". After a demonstration arranged by Mr. Bougourd, a new and much-improved pointing of the psalms was gradually introduced. He left in 1957 for a larger choir with a wider range of music. Before a new organist could be appointed, a temporary choirmaster kept an augmented choir going, including many members of the Young People's Fellowship, while members of the congregation played the organ or piano. This continued until May 1958 when Mr. Aldersea, G.R.S.M. (Lond.), L.R.A.M. (Gold Medallist), A.R.C.M., A.T.C.L., came with high qualifications and excellent testimonials. He resigned in June 1959 due to transport and time difficulties. Mr. Howard Stephens, M.A., B.Mus (Oxon) F.R.C.O. (CHM) A.R.C.M. A.D.C.M., who also held the Archbishop of Canterbury's Diploma in Church Music and had been both sub-organist at Exeter Cathedral and Director of Music in a well-known public school, started work in his place with great enthusiasm and ability. Early in 1961 a new organist and choirmaster, Mr. Christopher Welling, A.R.C.O., A.R.C.M., a full-time student of music then working for his Mus. Bac degree and F.R.C.O. diploma, was appointed. Mr. G. Butterworth, Licentiate L.C.M., took over the post in the middle of 1962. Mr. R.J. C Dafforne was appointed in May 1964 and was responsible for enriching the services and bringing much pleasure by his high standard of music and devotion to training the choir. He was also largely responsible for the specifications for the overhaul and rebuilding of the organ in 1972. He retired at the beginning of 1980.

Chris Cromar Ash Charles Matthew O’Malley

Olive Hayward, A.R.C.O., L.R.A.M., was appointed in the same year and after a few months put out an appeal for more singers of all ages to join the choir. She continued as organist and choirmaster until the end of 1992 when Marcella den Boer took over. She had been a recital organist for twenty years in Canada and organist at Calgary Cathedral, having previously played the organ in Czechoslovakia. Geoffrey Bowyer, M.Mus, F.R.C.O., conductor of four choirs and teacher of music courses at Richmond Adult College, took over from Marcella in April 1994 until he retired in 2001. Read the article In Appreciation of Geoffrey. Karl Bridge became the new organist for a year or so but had to resign as he found making the long journey from his home too onerous.

Samuel Draper

Chris Myhill stepped in for a few months in 2002.

During this period of changing organists a member of the choir, Chris Hodges, a founder member of The Sixteen, became choirmaster and brought the choir up to a high standard. Christopher Cromar, who had studied at the Paris Conservatoire, was appointed organist in 2002. His organ teachers included Naji Hakim, Nicolas Kynaston and Marie-Louise Langlais. Read the article Our New Organist. Christopher left to be organist at a church in Aldgate in 2003. At Easter that year Gavin Milmer became organist but died tragically a few months later. At the end of that year, Ash Charles was appointed. Ash began his musical career as a chorister at Westminster Abbey, going on to study at the Guildhall School of Music, Cambridge and the Moscow Conservatoire.

After Chris Hodges left the parish in 2003, another member of the choir, Martin Hinckley, took over looking after the choir during times when there was no permanent organist and also when a conductor was needed while the organist accompanied the anthem. Ash Charles left in 2007 and Matthew O’Malley took over in September of that year. Matthew was organ scholar of Hertford College, Oxford and a choral scholar at Wells Cathedral. Martin Hinckley stepped into the breech again when Matthew moved away from the area the following summer, taking over directing the choir and also coordinating all the music for thirteen months, liaising with a group of excellent stand-in organists.

Samuel Draper was appointed organist in October 2010. He went to University College, Oxford, as Organ Scholar and Director of the Chapel Choir, and then won a scholarship to study on the post-graduate conducting course at the Royal College of Music. Read the article Our New Organist.