Sst. James' Episcopal Church

Choir: St. James’ adult choir provides music for the 10 a.m. Eucharist, as well as special events such as Advent Lessons and Carols, Holy Week services, Taize services and Evensong. 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 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays, and from 9 to 9:45 a.m. on Sundays before the 10:15 a.m. Eucharist. For more information about the choir, contact Music Director Cristian Grases at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ..

Choristers: The choristers program at St. James’ is open to girls and boys (with unchanged voices) ages 8 and up. Previous singing experience is helpful but not required. The choristers perform in services on Christmas Eve, Easter Sunday and Pentecost. Prior to each of those services, they rehearse for four Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. after the 10:15 a.m. Eucharist. In addition to preparing music for worship, choristers receive instruction in vocal production, musicianship, sight reading and ensemble singing. For more information on the choristers program or to enroll your child, please contact Music Director Cristian Grases at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

About the director:
Cristian Grases

Prior to arriving at St. James, Cristian Grases was the Director of Choral Activities at Central Washington University.  He is currently teaching at California State University in Los Angeles.  Born in Caracas,Venezuela in 1973, he started his musical studies at the age of 11 . His musical life began as a chorister and instrumentalist, and has since flourished as composer, assistant conductor and conductor of choral and instrumental ensembles.  In 2001, he received his Master Degree with honors in Choral Conducting with María Guinand and Alberto Grau at Simón Bolívar University in Venezuela and in 2009 obtained his Doctoral Degree at the University of Miami in Florida.  He has studied composition, arranging, choral conducting and orchestra conducting with national and international music masters.

Grases has toured extensively with his ensembles, both nationally and internationally, receiving critical acclaim and creating partnerships and cooperation with important ensembles around the world. He is also an award-winning composer obtaining first and second prize in the choral arrangement competition Estilo Caribeño; and first prize at the Emerging Composer Competition at Yale University in 2008 with his work Visiones del Llano - 2. Amanecer.

Grases has participated in numerous festivals, workshops and events as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Among the most recent are workshops and sessions as a guest conductor in France (Europa Cantat Jr.), Denmark (World Symposium on Choral Music), The Netherlands (Europa Cantat), and Caracas, Venezuela (conducting the Simon Bolivar Orchestra); masterclasses and adjudications in Indonesia, and commissions for ensembles in the San Francisco area. During his tenure in Miami, he was the founder and artistic director of Amazonia Vocal Ensemble, which is based in Miami and focuses on Latin American repertoire; was the conductor for the Women’s Chamber Ensemble of the University of Miami; was the assistant conductor of the Miami Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Eduardo Marturet and the Conductor of the Young Musician’s Orchestra. Grases was selected to be part of the Board of Directors of the International Federation for Choral Music in 2008, and serves as the editor for the Children’s and Youth Column of the International Choral Bulletin.

About the organist: Robert Woolsey has been organist of St. James since 2006. His principal instructor in organ performance was the renowned teacher Clarence Mader of Occidental College. Mr. Woolsey studied electronic music and composition at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, and having performed in both popular and classical fields brings a wide range of musical background to St. James.

Before coming to St. James, he served as organist of St. Andrew and St. Charles Episcopal Church in Granada Hills, Calif. for 7 years.  For many years he has performed seasonally for numerous area churches including Hollywood's Blessed Sacrament, California Mission San Fernando, and Seventh Day Adventist Eagle Rock amongst others. Since 2005, Mr. Woolsey has served as the auxiliary organist for the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in Downtown Los Angeles, providing service music as well as numerous recitals and lectures.

In addition to playing keyboards, Woolsey has worked as a producer, engineer and editor on numerous recording, film, and video projects for such outlets as Columbia, Turner, Mobile Fidelity Sound and his work has been Grammy nominated.  In 2008 he was selected for inclusion in the Who's Who in America for musical achievement.  He has been a regular performer at the notable "organica" concert series which has been consistently named LA Weekly's "classical pick of the week," has been featured as soloist with conductor Paul Salamunovich, and performed in UCLA's historic Royce Hall.