Do you know anyone – of any age – who you think might secretly hanker after playing the pipe organ? Who lives in the north of England? The Great North Organ Day hits Newcastle on Saturday 17th May. Based around…
Before I get too full of self-importance, I need to confess that having a piece of organ music written specially for me was most undeserving – I simply won a competition on Twitter. Composer Thomas Morgan celebrated getting to 300…
Whether they are people of faith or people of none, most organists’ lives are caught up in the life of the church, simply because their chosen instrument is mainly to be found there. So I include this astonishing photograph, unthinkable…
For eight years now Catherine Ennis has been promoting an annual series of recitals featuring young artists at the organ. “It’s the only series, as far as I know” she says, “which gives a platform to such organists away from…
Slightly daunting to have a lesson on Bach with Margaret Phillips after her exemplary Bach recital the night before – and on the same organ too. But she was generous in sharing the registrations she used, and many other small…
Hilary Norris now works as a performer and teacher in Leominster, but is returning to St Mary’s Church, Northchurch, in Hertforshire, where she was Director of Music for three years from 1997, to give the opening recital in a series…
James Parsons is teaching us in Oxford this week, and even persuaded us today that transposition and harmonisation at sight were great fun – well almost. He’s an enormously busy recitalist and teacher – organ tutor at the Birmingham Conservatoire…
Darlings, we went to see The Queen, and all because Thomas Trotter got himself double-booked. Thomas was due to teach us today here in Oxford. Then Buckingham Palace asked if he would kindly give his planned recital at St George’s…
Woo hoo! Pardon an adolescent outburst, but I’ve just had an hour playing the new Merton Dobson organ, and after all I’ve written about it on this blog, it was a fab moment. Here’s the view straight up from the…
Given that my day job is teaching at an interior design school in London, I couldn’t resist this, which appeared on Twitter this morning. Thanks Central Methodists @preston_church and Dave Walker @davewalker for tweeting.
The Royal College of Organists runs an Easter Course for those preparing for their examinations, so I’m off to Oxford this week on the Preparation for ARCO strand – tutors Graham Barber, Margaret Phillips, Thomas Trotter (gulp) as well as…
The new organ scholar of St Paul’s Cathedral in London has been appointed, and will mark a first in the Cathedral’s history. Rachel Mahon will take up the position of William and Irene Miller Organ Scholar for the 2014/15 academic…
The British organ world emerged, blinking slightly, into the media spotlight last week. The inauguration of the restored Royal Festival Hall organ, with the Opening Gala, has kicked off a fortnight’s residency of BBC Radio3 at the Hall itself, focussing…
I wish I’d met Ralph Downes. His autobographical book Baroque Tricks, subtitled Adventures with the Organ Builders, is difficult to get hold of now* but gives a vivid impression of the man, and his battles with the organ establishment of…
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