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We’re hosting a lunch, supervised practice time and a teaching session for this year’s RSCM Autumn Organists’ 3-day Course based in St Albans.

Students will enjoy freshly-cooked Salmon with sliced Beef and other “bits”; salads, puddings and espresso coffee.

Both of our house organs will be available plus the two pianos if required.  The afternoon will demonstrate how to tune an organ pipe.  Plenty of hands-on practical experience!

This is the time of year when we remember.  We remember those who have gone before us: both family and  those who have fought valiantly against an enemy.

Two trips to St Peter’s, London Docks, services in St Nicholas, Harpenden and St Mary’s, Apsley help us remember.  A Civic Service of Remembrance will occur in St Ethelreda’s, Hatfield on the morning of Sunday 12 November.

How do you like your Messiah?

I was invited to write an article for the Opening Concert of the 2017 St Albans International Organ Festival.  The article and front page of the Programme can be accessed by clicking the red text.

Playing the organ is the easy bit: it’s all the peripheral demands that make the ability to multi-task so essential.

In a couple of talks I’ve recently “unlocked the doors” to the organ loft – (St Albans Cathedral’s Mother’s Union and St Saviour’s Tea Club) and will be pleased to do so again to Shenley Methodist Fellowship on Monday 9th October at 2pm.

What do the stops do? How do you see and hear what’s going on?  What gadgets do you have to use?  Is it creepy going into a locked church? Have you seen any ghosts?

I’m frightened already and this is only an afternoon talk.

If you would like a 45 minute illustrated talk on the mysteries of being an organist – from shoes to blue tack and the multitudinous possible pitfalls – all delivered with a touch of humour and a chance to blow an organ pipe or two, let me know.

[Pictured is a delightful, gently voiced, 6-stop chamber organ in Shenley Methodist Church which I will play to illustrate my talk.]

I led an RSCM Workshop on Saturday 23rd September in St John’s Church,  Harpenden where we explored the latest Festival Service Book, Reform and Renewal.  Although the afternoon ended with an act of worship using some of the book’s contents, the workshop was primarily concerned with exploring much of the music contained therein.

Marie Price shared the conducting and Roger Carter and Nicholas King provided superb accompaniments on both piano and organ. The Reverend James Reveley led the final act of worship.

It was a great afternoon with some high-calibre singers helping to secure each and every vocal line.

Two funerals this week (one of them a “big one” in St Peter’s, London Docks) followed by a wedding at the weekend.  And tonight I return to HABS Girls’ School as the regular accompanist to their St Catherine’s Singers directed by Tim Scott.

Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, Cantique de Jean Racine by Monsieur Fauré.  A little music by Mozart, Philip Moore and Rutter features, too.

The diary till Christmas is filling up fast.

A great sing this weekend directing the 24 in our RSCM Area Chamber Choir.  Sumsion in A and Stanford in C for the evening canticles with Darke in E for the Choral Eucharist.  Byrd’s Ave verum corpus, Stanford’s O for a closer walk with God and Bairstow’s Though I speak with the tongues of men.  Responses by Radcliffe.

Leaving the Cathedral after the Eucharist I bumped into both the Archdeacon of St Albans and the Organist of St Paul’s Cathedral – as one does – and both commented that the Bairstow is rarely sung.  A great piece, though, contained in the Church Anthem Book.

Our next outing in the Cathedral is for Evensong on Saturday 30th December.

If you would like to know more about joining the choir,  let me know.

Thomas Gaynor (New Zealand) won the Interpretation Competition and Audience Prize.

Lotta-Sophie Harder (Germany) won the Philip Moore Prize and Sora Yu (South Korea) the Douglas May Award.  Christian Groβ (Germany) and Shihono Higa  (Japan) won the Improvisation Prizes.

All practised on our house organs.  Many congratulations to them.

It’s Choral Evensong time all over Hertfordshire this coming Sunday but I can only play for one at a time.  St Etheldreda’s in Hatfield were at the front of the queue so it’s Moeran in D Canticles and Holst’s Turn back, O man for the anthem plus a Psalm some Responses, Introit and invigoratingly noble Hymns.

Thinking about the Voluntary….

Since 2011, when our two-manual, 10 stop,  Peter Collins Pipe Organ was installed at home, the St Albans International Organ Festival has accepted our offer of using our two house organs.  We generally host the Interpretation or Improvisation Competition Winners on at least one occasion, so if you want to be a (first prize) winner come and practise on our house organs!

Simon Thomas Jacobs won first prize in 2013.

Johannes Zeinler won in 2015.

Who will be our winning guest in 2017?