James Carpenter

James Carpenter

James Carpenter is married to Joanna and the whole family enjoys singing, as their neighbours have often commented. His three children have sung with BJC and BYV. He started directing choral groups at school, and his first job, when he was in year 12, was as organist and choirmaster at St Nicholas Kidbrooke (the choir consisted of 15 girls!). Subsequently he was organ scholar at Warwick University and St Mary’s Church, Warwick, where he took part in a number of concerts and broadcasts, and also studied maths.

Since 1998 he has been Organist and Director of Music at Beckenham Baptist Church. His work experience also includes working as a medical statistician at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists in 2022. He is accompanist for the choir Cheerful Voice, for whom he has recently played at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, Bath Abbey and Rochester Cathedral. Recent recitals include St Paul’s Anglican Pro-Cathedral in Valletta, Malta.