About US
St James’s Chamber Orchestra brings together a talented blend of professional musicians and top-tier early-career artists, all united by a shared mission to support humanitarian causes.
St James’s Chamber Orchestra is dedicated solely to using the transformative power of music to inspire a profound commitment to humanitarian aid to support the work of the Ukraine Welcome Centre supporting the 300,000 Ukrainian refugees who have been displaced by the war in Ukraine many of whom have lost all their possessions, are separated from their families, and have found themselves in a country whose language they are unable to speak, without any certainty for their future or the future of their children.
Many of them are traumatised by the terrible things they have seen and by the loss of loved ones. The impact upon children is particularly severe. Many of the children are experiencing acute mental suffering manifesting itself in a variety of ways. Some will require support for many years to come. The burden on their parents, many of them now single parents who are either bereaved or separated from their spouses, and, themselves suffering and unable to provide the secure environment they provided for their children in Ukraine, is particularly harsh.
The Orchestra is the capital’s most exciting new chamber orchestra being a Pro-Am by-invitation only orchestra comprised of a mix of talented young musicians from the London music colleges (many of whom are ex Menuhin School) and experienced professional musicians under the baton of former Leonard Bernstein protégé composer-conductor Matthew Taylor.
Our Team
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Michael Henry
Director
Michael Henry won a Junior Exhibition Scholarship to the Royal College of Music at the age of 11, and at the age of 22 was offered the position of administrator of the Monteverdi Orchestra, a position he did not take up, instead, becoming a solicitor specialising in entertainment law regarded as one of the UK’s “leading” entertainment lawyers.
He was UK adviser to the Council of Europe, former member of the Legal Advisory Board European Commission DGXIII and former principal external legal adviser of the BFI. His legal publications run to over 12 volumes including the prestigious Entertainment and Media Volumes of the Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents.
He has written radio drama for BBC Radio 3. His translation of Diderot’s eighteenth-century anti-novel Jacques the Fatalist is published by Penguin Classics and was one of only 400 works from all fields of human creativity selected for inclusion in the UNESCO – sponsored Millennium Archive of Humankind maintained by the Institute of Philosophy in Naples.
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Matthew Taylor
Conductor & Artistic Director
The distinguished composer/conductor Matthew Taylor enjoys a pre-eminent position at the heart of the United Kingdom classical music establishment. As a composer he received special encouragement from Robert Simpson and Sir Malcolm Arnold. He trained as a conductor with Robin Page, Vilém Tauský, and with Leonard Bernstein.
He has conducted many orchestras including the English Chamber Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, Royal Ballet Sinfonia, European Community Chamber Orchestra and the BBC National Orchestra of Walesand has conducted with Leonard Bernstein at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival.
He has recorded for Hyperion Records and Dutton and has conducted first performances of pieces by Robert Simpson, Vagn Holmboe, David Matthews and James Francis Brown.
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Mira Marton
Concertmaster
Polish violinist Mira Marton has obtained international recognition by winning numerous prizes, among others, the first place at the Lutoslawski Competition for Young Violinists in Warsaw and ‘Prix Special Argent’ at the Paris Music Competition. Mira’s most recent achievements include gaining the First Prize at the Royal College of Music Violin Competition in 2021.
Her concert experience includes performing in major venues around the world, among others, Wigmore Hall and Buckingham Palace in London, Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, the National Philharmonic and the Royal Castle Concert Hall in Warsaw.
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Oliver John Ruthven
Harpsichordist & Director of St James's Baroque Ensemble
Oliver John Ruthven is a conductor and continuo player based in London. He began his musical career as a chorister at Westminster Abbey and went on from there to Tonbridge School and the University of Manchester. He graduated from Manchester in 2006 with a 1st Class Honours Degree in Music.
He is in much demand as a continuo player, working as harpsichordist and organist for the English Baroque Soloists under Gardiner, and as a founder member of Musica Poetica. He has also played with Stile Antico, The Academy of Ancient Music, The Hanover Band, His Majesty's Sackbuts & Cornets, the English Cornet & Sackbut Ensemble, and Solomon’s Knot.
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Andriy Marchenko
Director of The Ukraine Welcome Centre
Born in Kyiv, Andriy Marchenko was appointed the Director of the Ukrainian Welcome Centre in April 2022. For 28 years prior to this employment, he served as a Ukrainian diplomat, most recently as Minister-Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Ukraine in the United Kingdom. He previously served in Canada, Sweden and Libya. He is currently also a Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
“We are deeply moved and grateful to St James’s Chamber Orchestra and to everyone involved. By supporting the Ukrainians who have now found refuge in the United Kingdom, you are helping the whole nation survive the barbaric war waged against it by the Russian Federation. Thank you for your interest and generosity, and we hope you enjoy the exquisite musical experience provided by the talented musicians and the unique venue of the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral. Welcome!”
Our Ensembles
St James’s Chamber Orchestra
Our flagship ensemble brings together exceptional professional and pre-professional musicians and performs 4 concerts a season under the direction of conductor Matthew Taylor.
St James’s Baroque Ensemble
Our Baroque Ensemble specialises in 17th & 18th-Century repertoire, performing in our Music by Candlelight series under the direction of harpsichordist Oliver John Ruthven.
Chamber ensembles
Many of our players perform in chamber ensembles together. If you would like to find out more, please email us.