RCO Raise Your Game! Day, Ipswich, 13th March 2010
STUDENT REPORT
On Saturday 13th March, 18 keen young organists gathered in St Mary le Tower Church in the centre of Ipswich to take part in an RCO Raise Your Game! inspiration day, which was organised with the help of the Suffolk Organists’ Association. The day began with spoken introductions from James Parsons, Head of Student Development at the RCO Academy, and Dr Michael Nicholas, Director of Music at St Mary le Tower, and a musical introduction from William Saunders, Assistant Director of Music at Ipswich School. He demonstrated the excitement that the organ could bring by playing Toccata on Von Himmel Hoch by Garth Edmundson. It was then time to depart to the Royal Hospital School in Holbrook. Peter Crompton, the Director of Music, demonstrated his amazing four manual instrument, built by Hill, Norman and Beard, which we were then privileged to experience for ourselves. Some of the students had never played an organ before, and had brought piano music to try out. Peter Crompton helped them to adapt these pieces to suit the organ, whilst also aiding more advanced organists in the pieces that they had brought with them. After lunch, we had a WOOFYT (Wooden One-octave Organ For Young Technologists) workshop in the Recital Hall of the new music school at RHS. Jeremy Sampson led us in various rhythmic exercises, before we all operated the WOOFYT together, showing us how the sound of an organ is produced. It was now time to head back into Ipswich and to visit the Christie cinema organ at Castle Hill URC. Richard Hills showed us the differences between the church organ and the cinema organ (including tuned and untuned percussion stops and “double touch” key action). We all enjoyed experimenting with lighter repertoire, on an instrument that was new to us all. After tea, again at RHS, most of the students shared a piece that they had worked on during the day with an audience of parents and members of the Suffolk Organists’ Association in the school chapel. Later in the evening, Nigel Ogden, presenter of BBC Radio 2’s The Organist Entertains, performed a programme of light music, showing the incredible variety of different colours that could be gleaned from a “classical” organ. This was a fantastic end to a brilliant day, which was much enjoyed by the young organists present.
Nicholas Freestone, Organ Scholar at Ipswich School and St Mary le Tower Civic Church
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Raise Your Game Day was great fun. We played a great organ in the RHS chapel, while Mr Crompton gave us some of his excellent advice and tips. It was also good to hear some of the other organists, who all did well. We did a WOOFYT workshop, where we learnt about both rhythm and the inside of an organ and how it works. We then went to Castle Hill to play the theatre organ there. That was really great! I think all of us enjoyed playing this style of organ, which none of us had really done before. After tea at RHS, we then played a short concert for our parents and friends in the chapel, with the great organists who had taught us throughout the day listening along with Nigel Ogden himself! It was a fantastic experience to have such a talented organist listen to us play, and he signed our certificates and pieces of music. We listened to Nigel Ogden’s recital, which was of course amazing, before going home to tell everyone about our fabulous day. Many thanks to everyone involved for organizing such an enjoyable event.
What is a WOOFYT workshop?
A WOOFYT is a Wooden One-octave organ for young technologists!
I totally agree with Olivia’s comments. Peter Chatfield, Secretary of the I. A. O. joined us for the day, and he was most impressed by all he saw and heard of the young players and their tutors. Many thanks to all concerned.
It was a great pleasure to welcome everyone to Castle Hill and the Christie Organ. The visit was only made possible by the agreement of IPSWICH LIGHT ORGAN MUSIC SOCIETY who own the organ. We hope that all the young musicians enjoyed their time playing the organ after hearing the masterful Richard Hills perform on the instrument. It was a great pleasure to be involved with this well organised event.
Simon Pulham
ILOMS
Raise Your Game Day was great fun. We played a great organ in the RHS chapel, while Mr Crompton gave us some of his excellent advice and tips. It was also good to hear some of the other organists, who all did well. We did a WOOFYT workshop, where we learnt about both rhythm and the inside of an organ and how it works. We then went to Castle Hill to play the theatre organ there. That was really great! I think all of us enjoyed playing this style of organ, which none of us had really done before. After tea at RHS, we then played a short concert for our parents and friends in the chapel, with the great organists who had taught us throughout the day listening along with Nigel Ogden himself! It was a fantastic experience to have such a talented organist listen to us play, and he signed our certificates and pieces of music. We listened to Nigel Ogden’s recital, which was of course amazing, before going home to tell everyone about our fabulous day. Many thanks to everyone involved for organizing such an enjoyable event.