Interview with Dr Jonathan Ayerst, Director of Music

Dr. Jonathan Ayerst, ably assisted by his son.

Jonathan, please tell us about your musical journey to this key role at St James …

My personal connection with the organ dates back even before my formal training in London, which was as a pianist. In my teens, I was invited to let myself into the church situated opposite our house in Truro, Cornwall, and explore the organ for fun. Then towards the end of the 1990s, after moving to South Mimms, the parish church there needed an organist, so I picked it up again.

The breakthrough was becoming interested in improvisation – I was fascinated how to

be free and create my own music. A Radio 3 programme that drew together recordings of masses in the main parish churches in Paris, where there’s a strong tradition of organ

improvisation, was the catalyst for me – the music was so rich and varied, some strictly

classical, some baroque, ending on the right tone for the priest to sing, linking bits of the

service, capturing the mood … I thought it was brilliant.

When I started to study for a Master’s in the Psychology of Music, I realised what

was holding me back from improvising was psychological, so I investigated my own thinking and previous learning for a PhD. Then to Stuttgart for lessons with a wonderful German organ improvisation teacher, before giving my first improvisation concert in Porto.

At St James, my two organist colleagues – Tjakko de Jonge and Natassa Lima – and I

also play repertoire; but so that the music is not just from the past, which can feel remote, we aim through improvisation to bring the unexpected and entertaining into religious content. The point is to make a connection with the congregation.

How do you see the correlation between music and spirituality?

It’s subjective. For me the sound of the organ is tied up with my sense of religion – it’s a

personal aesthetic, I grew up around cathedrals and choirs and I love church architecture – but does that work for others?

The congregation is becoming more international, and we’re mid-conversation to

explore whether we need to diversify musically, and if so, how. I do think music can play a part in building the congregation, that the music should attract people, and not just be religious wallpaper, sacred noise to be ignored.

What difference does music make to the services?

What matters in the services is all of us coming together on a particular day, all human beings doing our thing. But there’s something wonderful in people that we can create music – and it’s this musical practice that I want to develop.

There is room for silence too in the sound architecture of services. On Good Friday,

for example, services are without music, and this is also powerful. And the singing, rather than merely speaking, of some portions of the formal words we Anglicans call the liturgy, how does that help?

Society has largely lost the habit of singing. People used to sing in pubs, sellers sang on the streets of London, children still sing until they become self-conscious. At St James I’m happy to say that the regular congregation like to sing, so it’s only occasionally that we have events where people feel shy to sing.

Singing is natural, healthy, and helps us breathe and feel better. I’m not arguing with

anyone’s preference for a spoken service. But I’ve observed, the people in the congregation who come early to practise singing and lead the sung parts of the service tend to be in noticeably good spirits!

Taking this a step further, what effect would you say singing together has on the church community?

Five or ten minutes of choir rehearsal and everybody feels uplifted. There’s also a great sense of belonging.

What’s happening practically around music at St James at present, and how might

people get involved?

Our informal choir meets half-an-hour before the Sunday service to run through the hymns, and people of all levels are welcome, whether you can read music or not. There’s no audition, and no weekly obligation – it’s just something that happens in an impromptu style with whoever’s there that morning. We also prepare something sung for the main festivals of the year.

Then, if you play an instrument, you can offer to perform: there’s a concert at least

once a year organised by Tjakko de Jonge. So do come. There’s everything to learn and nothing to lose!

I look forward to meeting you.