Ivan-Bogdan Reincke, 21, from Hungary has won first prize in the Northern Ireland International Organ Competition (NIIOC), held at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh, in August this year. This is the ninth year of the NIIOC, and this year competitors came from the USA and Australia for the first time, as well as six European countries.

This year’s RCO study trip was focused around organ music of the French Romantic period, in particular the music of Jean Langlais and Oliver Messiaen.  Twelve RCO students, led by RCO tutor Richard Brasier, visited four churches in the center of Paris over several days in June, to play on instruments by the builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll.  Rachel Pickering was one of these students, and she sent us this account of the trip.

The British organ world of the 1960s was shaken up by a generation of new, iconoclastic composers, and James Parsons leads an RCO class exploring this music in Newcastle, this October, on the Kenneth Tickell organ at St Mary’s RC Cathedral. If you think this music is difficult and daunting, think again – James has approachable and engaging suggestions of repertoire for the class for you to explore.

This year’s OrganFest in Cardiff is offering a perfect opportunity to introduce youngsters to the organ. David Pipe on the organ with John Biddle as narrator, along with Jeremy Sampson, curator of the WOOFYT, present all sorts of wizardry and magic in a concert for the whole family on the morning of Saturday, 7th September.

Oundle for Organists, in partnership with the RCO, have published a new series of eight films as a guide for potential organ scholars. Presented by Oundle’s Director, Ann Elise Smoot, they explain how to prepare for organ scholar trials, with practical advice on skills such as improvisation, registration, and score reading from inspiring tutors. All organists wanting to improve their skills will find the films, and the accompanying reading list, helpful.

Part of the recent £26m restoration of the historic Armstrong Building at Newcastle University was the installation of an organ by Bernard Aubertin in the King’s Hall, one of only three Aubertin instruments in the UK.  You are invited to play this instrument on Saturday 27th July, in an RCO class on music of the French Classical era – organists at all playing levels are welcome to attend.

St Laurence’s Church in Ludlow currently houses two very different organs – their own fine Snetzler organ, and also the Wetheringsett organ, one of the two Tudor organs of the Early English Organ Project managed by the RCO. On Saturday 20th July this year organ enthusiasts have the chance to hear and learn more about both these instruments, with the opportunity to play them at the end of the day.

OrganFest 2019 will be hosted by Cardiff and Llandaff, and runs from from 6th to the 8th September, based around five landmark churches and their instruments. These include St David’s Hall, Llandaff Cathedral, and two fine examples of Henry Willis organs. David Briggs and Gerard Brooks are among the recitalists, and David Pipe performs a family concert of music with Jeremy Sampson’s Wooden One-Octave Organ for Young Technologists in attendance.

Art Night is a free, contemporary art festival, taking place over one night, once a year, in a different area of London.  This year the festival is on the night of Saturday 22nd June, in Walthamstow and King’s Cross in North London. Cory Archangel and Hampus Lindwall have been invited to create an event for the festival based around the organ at the church of St Mary, in Walthamstow.