About St James’s Chamber Orchestra.

 St James’s Chamber Orchestra’s primary objectives are to provide a platform for early-career musicians, both as orchestral players and as soloists, and to expand the orchestral repertoire by commissioning, through its own publishing house St James’s Music Publishing Limited, new orchestrations of works by Bach, Schumann, and other composers.

Across its 2025–26 and 2026–27 seasons, the Orchestra has embarked on an ambitious J.S. Bach Cycle featuring no fewer than twelve world première performances. All concerts in the Cycle are being filmed and recorded in stereo for release on the Orchestra’s YouTube channel, enabling audiences worldwide to share in this unique musical journey.

Drawn from fifteen nationalities, with more than a quarter of its members Ukrainian, the Orchestra seeks to harness the transformative power of music to bring hope, healing, and practical support to children affected by war. In partnership with War Child (trauma counselling) and Humanity & Inclusion UK (specialist prosthetics and rehabilitation), the Orchestra is dedicating 1,000 volunteer hours each season, in addition to its rehearsal and performance activities, to raise funds for trauma counselling and prosthetic care for Ukrainian children.

To achieve this, the Orchestra is working with UK corporates through their Corporate Social Responsibility programmes, with charitable foundations supporting music and the arts, and with its audiences — whose support is vital to this humanitarian mission. In parallel, the Orchestra is laying the groundwork for a major Concerto Competition for early-career musicians, to be launched during the Bach Cycle.

Every donation helps transform music into real-world impact — funding trauma counselling, prosthetic care, and rehabilitation for children whose lives have been torn apart by war.

Support our Bach Cycle Humanitarian Appeal.
Your donation will be received by the Orchestral Music Society (Registered Charity No. 1212490) and applied in support of trauma counselling (War Child) and prosthetic care (Humanity & Inclusion UK) for Ukrainian children affected by war, and to sustain the Orchestra’s charitable work.