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| A Worldwide Society for Friends of the Organ Founded 1926 President: Robin Coxon |
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| A Worldwide Society for Friends of the Organ Founded 1926 President: Robin Coxon |
Meetings | Tours | Lectures | Publications | Commissions | Recitals | Membership | Read our Prospectus!
Monthly meetings have always been central to the Club's activities since it was founded in 1926 with Henry Willis III as its first president. About half the meetings are in the London area and half in other parts of Great Britain.
Emphasis is placed on new organs and those of historical interest; visits are also arranged to organ builders' workshops. Members are usually able to play the organs visited.
Themes are often set for a day, such as Lewis organs in Southwark or Holdich in Northamptonshire. Up to 100 members commonly attend meetings which are also very much social occasions. At the Annual Lunch, important figures from the organ and wider musical world are invited to speak.
Find out about this year's meetings.
Annual week-long tours are regularly arranged within the UK and overseas. Those in the UK have included such areas as the North-East, Lincoln & Boston, Dorset, Liverpool & Manchester, Isle of Wight, Scotland, North Yorkshire, Ulster, Hereford, the West Midlands and Devon.
Recent overseas tours include the Danube, Netherlands, Denmark, Toulouse area, Berlin-Baltic area, Australia, Flanders, Alsace and USA.
The Club toured Ireland in May 2005, Sweden in June 2006, and will visit Chester and the North Wales area this year.
There are also mini-tours of 2 to 3 days in the UK that have included Shrewsbury, Dorset, Southwell, Oxford, Merseyside.
An annual lecture sponsored by the Club forms an important part of its educational activity. Past speakers and topics have included Roger Fisher (Masterclass for students), Gerard Brooks (playing French music on English organs), Stephen D Smith (Atlantic City Convention Hall Organ), Malcolm Riley (the life & works of Percy Whitlock), Dame Gillian Weir (French music), Stephen Cleobury (accompaniment), Michael Gillingham (case styles) and Paul Patterson (composition).
All members receive a bi-monthly Club Newsletter and a Club Journal three times a year containing details of the monthly visits, articles, organ news, correspondence and reviews. These form the main link with the Club's world-wide membership.
Recent articles have included the first published details of the new organ in Windsor Castle, and a two-part special on the improvisations of Dupre and Cochereau.
Eight Handbooks have been published, forming a unique collection of original articles from many eminent contributors.
View the latest Organ Club Newsletter in PDF format. To view files in PDF format download "Acrobat Reader" free from the Adobe website.
Previous newsletters are available.
Several musical works commissioned by, or written for, the Club have been published and have found a place in the organ repertoire. They include Kenneth Leighton's "Paean" and his organ duet "Martyrs"; "Fantasia" Op.92 by Sir Lennox Berkeley, and "Wild Bells" by Michael Berkeley. For the club's 75th Anniversary, a commission was given to Nigel Allcoat. His work "A Little Organ Suite" was premiered by John Scott at St. Paul's Cathedral in August 2001.
Many important recitals have been promoted by the Club. These have included Bedrich Janacek at St Paul's Cathedral on the 50th anniversary of the death of Father Willis; Messiaen's 70th birthday (Stephen Cleobury at Westminster Abbey) and Howells' 90th (Christopher Dearnley at St Paul's Cathedral).
Notable Club anniversaries have been celebrated with highly successful concerts by Simon Preston and Nicolas Kynaston at the Royal Festival Hall, Dame Gillian Weir at Westminster Abbey and John Scott at St. Paul's.
Every March, the annual recital at the AGM is given by a well-known organist. The 2006 AGM recital at St Francis' Church, Welwyn Garden City was given by Peter Davis, Director of Music, Oakham School.
If you would like to join, please print off the application form and post it, completed and with the correct fee, to:
Mark Jameson (Membership Secretary): 92 The Hawthorns, Charvil, READING, RG10 9TS
WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING YOU!
This site was last updated by Alistair McCartney on 6 May 2008
This page was last updated on 6 May 2008