Those of us who attended the RCO/Cinema Organ Society Organ Day at the Troxy Cinema in London’s East End last January are aware of the skills of organists like Richard Hills FRCO – equally at home on the classical as well as the cinema organ. Now, a year on, another celebrated classical organist will step up to the Troxy Wurlitzer – Thomas Trotter gives his first concert on the cinema organ this coming January, in the company of Simon Gledhill. We look at the legacy of other crossover artists in the organ world.

Sebastian Heindl, aged 19, has won the Senior section of the Northern Ireland International Organ Competition (NIIOC), which took place in August on the Walker organ in St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh. Applications for the competition, for organists aged 21 and under, were received from Hong Kong, China, France, Germany, Poland, Budapest, Slovakia, Lithuania, Canada, UK and Ireland. RCO Student Members were among the prize-winners: Thomas Trotter comments on the experience of chairing the competition jury.

It’s not uncommon for professional musicians to also maintain a job in a non-musical field, but Paul Griffiths, spectacularly, holds one of the top positions in the aviation industry, as well as being an international concert organist and recitalist, and a Vice President of the RCO. With a recital at Westminster Abbey coming up on 13th August, he describes his practice routine, and how important both his occupations are.

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.

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?

Listen to the Ede & Ravenscroft Recital which closed the College’s 2017 Conferment of Diplomas ceremony, given by Ashley Grote, MA, FRCO (Master of Music, Norwich Cathedral), playing music by J. S. Bach, César Franck and Francis Jackson.

Applications are invited from senior organ students, or organists in the early stages of their professional careers, for the W T Best Memorial Scholarship, worth £,4000 for up to 3 years. Auditions are scheduled for 23rd February 2017, with a closing date for applications of 5pm on 20th January 2017.

One hundred years ago, Harold Darke (1888-1976) began his fifty-year stint as Director of Music at St. Michael’s Cornhill, in the City of London. The church is celebrating this event all through October, and James McVinnie will open with an all-Bach recital in tribute to Darke on Monday 3rd October.

Listen to the Ede & Ravenscroft Recital which closed the College’s 2016 Conferment of Diplomas ceremony, performed by John Scott Whiteley, Organist Emeritus, York Minster, playing music by J.S. Bach, Saint-Saëns, Verdin, MacMillan and Jackson.