James Beaudreau

Background

About James Beaudreau

As the Director of Programming at Saint Peter's Church, NYC, I oversee the artistic direction of jazz and arts programming at the iconic multi-disciplinary religious and cultural organization in midtown Manhattan. In my first two years in this role (2022-23), I focused on building the flagship Jazz Vespers program: a unique weekly hour-long prayer service that sets a the ancient vespers service into a jazz-celebrating container. I'm responsible for planning and delivering on program goals, booking the musicians, writing the program notes, and being the host at the services. In 2023, we had a fourfold increase in average attendance and a significant boost in donations and media coverage. The trajectory of 2024 is positive. Other responsibilities include coordinating jazz memorials: another special decades-long tradition at Saint Peter's where important public figures in the jazz world are memorialized and celebrated with concerts interspersed with spoken remembrances. And, in addition to planning program goals years in advance and working towards those goals, my responsibilities include developing partnerships with organizations, community members, independent writers, scholars, and researchers. I am a musician and bandleader myself, and I am deeply engaged in promoting and celebrating the arts community and arts cultures. Especially corners of those cultures that are overlooked.