Two European cities hold festivals devoted to the organ and its music this summer – each basing their festival around a major organ-playing competition. Catch up with the celebrations around the instrument, in England and in France.

Opportunities to hear the organ uninterrupted on UK network radio are few. But did you know that if you transfer to pure internet radio, there’s a wealth of sources dedicated to quality organ music out there? All it needs is a computer, smartphone or tablet with an internet connection and speakers, plus a slight change of approach and listening habits.

For teachers of all keyboard instruments, it can be an uphill task to find teaching material for keyboard skills – realising figured bass, score reading, transposing, harmonising and improvisation. Two books of graded exercises have just been published by RCO tutors Anne Marsden Thomas and Frederick Stocken to help students of every standard improve their keyboard skills.

Playing hymns is an essential part of the musical lives of most organists. The hymn is a resilient art form, and has survived into the twenty-first century, with twenty-first century resources to match. Here’s a guide to some of them.

The Bristol and District Organists’ Association thinks they may have qualified for the Guinness Book of Records this month, with a unique public concert of 16 previously unheard organ compositions. The occasion was the finals of their competition for new compositions for the organ, to find a piece that was approachable, could be used as service voluntary, and also within recital repertoire.

On location in Germany, UK Reger expert Prof. Graham Barber introduces a selection of Reger’s organ works and discusses their context and performance.

The opportunity was there, so I took it, says Giles Taylor, of his recent success in being the first to gain one of the College’s new CAM (Certificate of Accredited Membership) qualifications. Giles had previously browsed the College’s Diploma requirements, but the CAM awards appealed because he felt the elements were straightforward and achievable. In this interview he describes the experience of taking the examination.

The American Guild of Organists has published a free 30-lesson series of films designed to provide a thorough introductory course in organ-playing, and particularly to help pianists make the transition to the organ.

The Orgelbüchlein Project is a major international composition project to complete J S Bach’s Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book). The task for composers contributing to the Orgelbüchlein Project is this: if Bach were alive today, how might he go about writing a short chorale prelude in the Orgelbüchlein style?