Meet two special organs this summer at St Laurence, Ludlow
June 24, 2019
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.
Read MoreCardiff and Llandaff to host OrganFest 2019
June 14, 2019
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.
Read MoreArt Night 2019 celebrates the organ in Walthamstow
May 31, 2019
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.
Read MoreSuccess with RCO accreditation from the other side of the globe
May 30, 2019
The RCO's Certificate of Accredited Membership (CAM) scheme allows both fledging and long-standing organists to benchmark their skills, wherever in the world they live. Gillian Collins, living in Australia, recently gained accreditation at CAM Intermediate level. She explains what led her to try for the qualification.
Read MoreA career boost for Paul Greally – organist, composer, and inaugural Harry Gabb Scholar
May 21, 2019
Designed to boost top class young organists onto the career ladder, the Harry Gabb Scholarship was awarded for the first time to young organist and composer Paul Greally. The scholarship gives financial support so that RCO qualifications can be completed as quickly as possible, and was set up in memory of William Harry Gabb, whose own career included the position of Sub Organist at St Paul’s Cathedral. Paul describes how the scholarship has helped his studies, and his plans for the future.
Read MoreAn all-women line-up for the John Hill Organ Series 2019
May 13, 2019
In a welcome re-balancing of the customary recital series, the line-up for the John Hill Organ Series at St Lawrence Jewry, London, which has just begun, is composed solely of female organists. It coincides with the launch earlier this year of the Society of Women Organists in the UK, an organisation dedicated to promoting women in the organ world, and recruiting girls and women to study the organ.
Read MoreAfter the Notre Dame fire – saving France’s Cavaillé-Coll heritage
May 1, 2019
After the fire at Notre Dame, it was a relief to see images of Notre-Dame's Cavaillé-Coll organ seemingly intact, and millions of euros have been pledged already for restoration of the Cathedral, and presumably, the organ. There are other Cavaillé-Coll instruments in France deserving of restoration though, and film-maker Will Fraser has devised a way we can all help bring back to life a particularly good example of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll's artistry.
Read MoreEchoes of the Plantagenets – two medieval musical survivors
April 25, 2019
The RCO's Wingfield Organ is now in residence at St Mary's Church in Fotheringhay - all very appropriate, as both instrument and church are fascinating medieval survivors. Fotheringhay will be the setting for a special concert on Saturday 25 May exploring the vocal and organ music of late medieval England, with David Skinner and The Alamire Scholars, organist James Parsons, and historian Dr David Starkey providing the spoken narrative.
Read MoreTournemire’s L’Orgue Mystique cycle at Westminster Cathedral
March 25, 2019
Charles Tournemire’s (1870–1939) L’Orgue Mystique is a cycle of solo organ pieces composed for use in the Roman Catholic liturgy. Tournemire wanted to do for the Roman Catholic Mass what Bach had done for the Lutheran Mass with his Orgelbüchlein. The completed work is subtitled '51 Offices of the liturgical year inspired by Gregorian chant and freely paraphrased', and Westminster Cathedral have begun a performance of the complete cycle (13 hours of music in its entirety) in a liturgical context: Martin Baker, Peter Stevens, Jonathan Allsopp and Adrian Gunning are among the organists taking part.
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