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.

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.

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.