St Mary’s Church Twickenham on Tuesday December 2, 2025 saw Strawberry Hill Community Choir’s first Christmas concert.
It featured beautiful music, including Bob Chilcott’s On Christmas Night, a musical celebration of Christmas with eight original carols with textures and tunes that ranged from reflective to jubilant. And of course, some much loved traditional Christmas songs which our enthusiastic audience joined us in singing.
“It was joyful and uplifting!“
Our guest soloists, the glorious soprano JJ Lam and brilliant organist Robert Mingay-Smith (also on piano) brought depth to the concert and their solos, together with our very own Erica’s solo, raised the spirits of everyone there. We were delighted by the comments from audience members afterwards.
“I had amazing feedback from friends and family last night – they were so impressed with the high standard and absolutely loved it.”
Thank you to everyone involved, to our audience and to St Mary’s Church for hosting us.
Strawberry Hill Community Choir’s Christmas poster 2025Bob Chilcott, composer
Join us for a wonderful evening of Christmas music on Tuesday 2 December at 7.45pm, at St Mary’s Church, Twickenham.
What’s on the programme
Bob Chilcott’s musical celebration of the Christmas story On Christmas Night is a sequence of eight original carols that combines tradition and invention. It’s been described as comforting and reflective, jubilant, swinging and folksy.
Of course there will be familiar carols and festive music, and we’ll be inviting you to join us in singing some old favourites.
Strawberry Hill Community Choir is always delighted to welcome up-and-coming soloists to feature in our concerts.
Tonight’s soprano is JJ Lam, our organist is Robert Mingay Smith, and we’ll all be under the direction of James Speakman.
Soprano JJ Lam
JJ Lam, soprano
JJ says: ‘I love to sing in different vocal styles and I am a huge nerd on vocal technique.’ An experienced recitalist and choral soloist, she started performing at the age of 12.
At Trinity College, Cambridge, JJ sang in the chapel choir of under Stephen Layton. After a brief career in finance, she went on to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, graduating in 2024.
A Scholar at St John’s Notting Hill, she’s also been the Soprano Choral Scholar at St George’s Beckenham and West London Chorus. JJ was selected as a 2025 Serena Fenwick artist with British Youth Opera. This summer, she sang in the Chorus of the National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company at Buxton Opera House.
Organist Robert Mingay-Smith
Robert Mingay-Smith, organist
Robert is considered to be one of London’s finest accompanists. He sang with VOCES8 for five years, touring the world and recording classical and jazz repertoire. Now Robert divides his time between conducting, playing the organ, accompanying and composing.
He is Director of Music at St Mary-at-Hill, London where he founded the Square Mile Music Series, a well-established concert series which attracts musicians from all over the world to perform.
Music Director James Speakman
James Speakman, Music Director
James Speakman is Strawberry Hill Community Choir’s musical director. He is Assistant Director of Music at the London Oratory School.
Before that James was Assistant Director of Music and Chapel Organist at Stowe School. He is a prize-winning Associate of the Royal College of Organists.
James started out as a pianist, then began organ lessons at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music with Simon Mercer. He won an Organ Scholarship at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, and studied with Ian Tracey. He read music at Cambridge University, where he studied the organ with Stephen Farr, and was Organ Scholar at Corpus Christi College. He was the recipient of the John Sanders Memorial Competition for Young Composers award in 2019.
Tuesday July 1, 2025 was the hottest day of the year so far. It was also the day when the singers of Strawberry Hill Community Choir held their first concert at York House in Twickenham.
Scores (and fans) in hand, we entered stage left and our music director James Speakman introduced David Terry on piano and our guest soprano Ruby Skilbeck.
It was a memorable evening for all the right reasons. The music – Mozart’s Missa Brevis in D major, written in 1772, followed by John Rutter’s Feel the Spirit, premiered in 2001. The beautiful warm tones of our soloist Ruby Skilbeck. The colour and depth of Alex Buckley’s clarinet playing. The brilliant piano accompaniment by David Terry. And, of course, the joy of building the harmonies with our fellow choir members, all woven together by our marvellous conductor James Speakman.
Thank you to everyone involved, to our audience and to York House for hosting us.
You can also click the link below to watch the concert on YouTube.
Strawberry Hill Choir relaunched in February 2025. The choir celebrated with the first evening practice at the historic York House in Twickenham.
Our rehearsal space, the Hyde Room, is gorgeous with great acoustics. The York House staff are incredibly friendly, warm and welcoming.
Fifteen years ago
In our previous incarnation as the Strawberry Hill House Choir, we were based at the glorious Gothic pile (18th century home to Horace Walpole) for 15 years.
When that venue was no longer available, members came together to form the new choir. Since its relaunch in February 2025, the choir continues to gain enthusiastic new members.
Strawberry Hill Community Choir 