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.

The RCO’s big Summer Course really does cater for all levels of playing – everyone gets an individual tailored timetable to suit their needs and abilities, and many people come back year after year as their playing progresses. Booking has opened for the 2019 Course. Read the experiences of three students in previous years, all at very different levels of ability.

If your New Year resolutions are likely to include improving your conducting or choral training skills, then book now for a workshop coming up in early February. Conductors with wide experience or with none are invited to spend a day with David Hill, Musical Director of The Bach Choir and former Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers, at an RCO choir training workshop on Saturday 2nd February 2019.

Heat rises, and many organs are in lofts well above ground level, observes Simon Williams – and surviving the heat in the summer of 2018 was just another challenge for students on the two flagship RCO courses in July and August. A report on how students of all ages came away inspired, with pictures.

The RCO is running a Village Organists’ Workshop in September, for all those parish musicians working in small churches who would like access to support and advice. The workshop welcomes pianists who would like to try the organ under expert guidance, as well as more experienced parish organists who would like to try a larger instrument than usual. It will be held in the glorious setting of the northern Lake District, at St Kentigern’s Church.

Simon Williams presents a masterclass in hymn playing at the organ of the Royal Hospital School, Holbrook, Suffolk.  He advises on registration, playovers and console management for hymns, how to match your hymn playing to the organ and the acoustic, and how to encourage confident singing from the congregation. 

The new Flentrop organ at the Royal College of Music in London is still to have its first proper public appearance, as it were, but already it’s gathering appreciative comments from those who’ve had a chance to play it. Flentrop Orgelbouw have created an instrument with a warm, clear sound that, although it has only 34 stops, is convincing, on its own terms, in French, North German, English, Baroque and Romantic repertoire. Thomas Trotter will give the opening recital on 25th February, to round off an organ festival that celebrates the organ music of composers associated with the College since the time of Parry.

Peter Woodward came to organ playing late in life. It was unexpected, but the involvement with the instrument and its music has been transforming. Here’s the story in his own words – how on the death of his wife Mary he took up the piano and then the organ, and followed her in attending the RCO’s big Summer Course for the last three years.

The College was a partner in the inaugural Guildhall Organ Festival in Derry-Londonderry at the end of October. A packed programme over three days was led by artistic director Catherine Ennis, supported by Daniel Moult, using the three-manual Hill organ in the Guildhall as the centrepiece, and included workshops, concerts, music for traditional Irish instruments with the organ, and a Battle of the Organs, featuring Sir Roger Gifford on recorder.