PROGRAMME 2023-2024

Alan Loader, the new President, has planned the following programme of events for his presidential year to take place up to the end of the calendar year.

• Saturday 25 June 2023 3pm - 5pm Garden Party and Short Recital Walnut Tree Cottage, Levington IP10 0ER
• Saturday 15 July 2023 Organ Crawl: North East Suffolk Lound, Lowestoft and Kirkley
• Thursday 10 August 2023 1pm Recital by SOA Members Museum Steet Methodist Church, Ipswich IP1 2EF
• Saturday 9 September 2023 2pm Visit to Bishop & Son Organ Builders 38 Bolton Lane Ipswich IP4 2BT
• Saturday 7 October 2023 11am - 4pm Master Class with Daniel Moult Improve your skills and build your confidence as a performer with one of the UK's finest organists and organ teachers.
• Saturday 4 November 2023 2pm Talk by Gary Cole Constable Hall, Gandish Road, East Bergholt CO7 6TP
• Saturday 25 November 2023 9am - 4pm Members provide music for the Stowmarket Christmas Tree Festival at St Peter and St. Mary's Parish Church
• Thursday 1 February 2024 5.30pm for St. Edmundsbury Cathedral Choral Evensong After evensong, a chance to play the organ.
• Saturday 9 March 2024 11am Organ Crawl: West and Mid Suffolk 11am Haverhill, Clare and Lavenham
• Saturday 13 April 2024 12.30pm Association Lunch at the King's Head Pub Orford and play the organ in St. Bartholomew's Church Orford
• Saturday 11 May 2024 AGM & Cream Tea Venue to be announced

PROGRAMME 2022-2023

William Baldry, now Past President, planned the following programme of events for his presidential year.

• Saturday 9 July 2022 2.30pm St. Mary le Tower, Ipswich 'The Lost Organ of the Tower' Roger Pulham
• Tuesday 12 July 1.10pm Recital Robin Walker St. Mary le Tower
• Tuesday 9 August 1.10pm Nicholas Freestone, Assistant Director of Music at Worcester Cathedral and a former member of SOA. Lunch time Organ Recital at St. Mary le Tower 13.10
• Saturday 3 September 2022 10am - 3pm Opportunity to visit two Ipswich churches and play the organs of St. Mary at the Elms and St. Mary at Stoke. 10.00 at The Elms with Andrew Leach. 13.30 at St Mary-at-Stoke with James Crowe.
• 1st October 2022 Masterclass with Colin Walsh (Lincoln Cathedral). An Organ Masterclass OPEN TO ALL at St. Mary-at-the-Elms, Ipswich. 10.00 Beginners and Reluctants 11.30 Intermediate level. 14.00 Experienced level.
• Christian Cartwright at the 3/11 Christie Theatre Organ in Castle Hill, Ipswich 14.30.
• Saturday 5 November 2022 14.30 DVD of Franck's music for the bicentenary of his birth in December. PLEASE NOTE: Venue: The Cesar Franck lecture / DVD film will take place in the Richards Room of Martlesham Community Centre, Felixstowe Road, Martlesham (just behind Tesco)l
• Sunday 27 November 2022 Members provide music for the Stowmarket Christmas Tree Festival at St Peter and St. Mary's Parish Church
• Saturday 28th January 2023 Ipswich in Non-Conformity Ipswich, once condemned by a Bishop of Norwich as a hot bed of Puritanism, has had a wealth of non-conformist churches, many now unfortunately closed. Most had pipe organs and some of the redundant ones have been relocated or lost. Saturday 28th January will see us visiting three of the main ones in the town centre. Two of which we have visited in recent times for events but not had the opportunity for members to play. The day will be as follows. 10.00am Museum Street Methodist Church 11.30am Bethesda Baptist Church 1.00pm Lunch and warm up 2.30pm Tacket Street URC/Baptist 3.30pm Tea and cake 4.00pm Finish Please let the Secretary know if you intend to come on 07771 764963 or shogger@fastmail.com

PROGRAMME 2021-2022

Within the restrictions that still pertain, Nicholas Jardine, now continuing as President for a second year, hopes that the events described below will take place.

• Saturday 26 June 2021 An invitation from the Norfold Organists' Association to join them at St. Bartholomew's Church, Orford from 2pm to 4pm.. Installed in that church in 2019 is the Peter Collins organ which was transferred from the Turner Sims Hall, University of Southampton and installed by Cousans Pipe Organ Builders.
• Saturday 24 July 2021 At 2.30pm, Roger Pulham will give an illustrated talk - Organists and Architecture at St. Mary, Stoke beginning at 2.30pm.
• Tuesday 31 August 2021. St Peter's Sudbury:   Composite lunchtime recital by three SOA members, Nicholas Jardine, Robert Wallr and Stephen Hogger at 12.30pm
• Saturday 25 September 2021. Organ playing competitions. Ipswich: St. Mary the Elms (morning) and St. Mary le Tower (afternoon). Adjudicator Colin Walsh (Lincoln ) --CANCELLED-- Instead an opportunity to play the organ of St. Mary Le Tower by members.
• Wednesday 13 October 2021. 7pm. Composite Memorial Recital for our late President Martin Ellis at Christ Church, United Reformed/Baptist Church, Tacket Street, Ipswich. Suffolk IP4 1AU
• Saturday 6 November 2021 An informal opportunity to play the organ at St. Peter and St. Mary, Stowmarket IP14 1ET. All welcome.
• Thursday 18 November 2021. Timothy Parsons, Director of Music at St Edmundsbury Cathedral will play La Nativite by Messaien at St. Mary le Tower 7.30pm.
• Saturday 22 January 2022 2pm Christchurch, Tacket Street, Ipswich A viewing of the rebuilding of King's College Cambridge grand organ on DVD followed by former organ scholars and then the opportunity to play this fine instrument.
• Saturday 19 February 2022 Composite Recital St. Mary's Church, Woodbridge IP12 4LP from 2pm. The church is on Market Hill. There are several car parks within walking distance of the church. The theme of the recital is sharing effective but short repertoire. So look out your favourite pieces and enjoy playing the two manual instrument.
• Saturday 23 April 2022. Bach Plus. RHS Holbrook. Peter Crompton.

Saturday 11 May 2019 – AGM at Eye preceded by the Annual Association Lunch at the Black Horse at Thorndon.

Saturday 13 July 2019 Old Independent Chapel Haverhill

Meet at 2.00pm for a lecture recital on the English Romantic School of Organ Music to be given by the President, Martin Ellis, assisted by members young and old, including Christopher Moore who will give a performance of Stanford’s Sonata Britannica and William Baldry who will play the Prelude in C by Edward Bairstow and Marche Heroique by Herbert Brewer.

Tea and Cake will be available at the end of the afternoon

Saturday 31 August 2019: Surrey: Reigate and Betchworth CANCELLED

By Coach to Surrey Leaving Ipswich at 8.00am and calling at Marks Tey, we will travel to St Mary’s Church Reigate to hear and play the 1911 Norman& Beard organ which has recently been restored by Nicholsons.

After this we will travel to Betchworth and have lunch at the Dolphin before crossing over the road to St Michael’s Parish Church to hear and play the Tickell organ which was Kenneth’s last installation before he died in 2014. We shall leave Betchworth for Suffolk at around 4.00pm.

Saturday 21 September 2019: Organ Competitions

: Bury St Edmunds Baptist Chapel and St Mary’s Parish Church. Adjudicator: Dr Joseph Fort: Organist and Director of Chapel Music and Lecturer at Kings College London.

Saturday 5 October 2019: German Romantic School of Organ Music

Meet at St Mary le Tower at 11.00am when the President, Martin Ellis, will give a recital including Sonata No.7 by Rheinberger, Andante and Variations by Mendelssohn and the Sonata on the 94th Psalm by Reubke.

After lunch at the local hostelry, we shall proceed to Christ Church Tacket Street where, at 2.00pm, Roger Pulham will show part of the DVD 'Reger – the last giant'. Tea and Cake will end the day around 4.00pm.

Saturday 25 January 2020 Annual Association Lunch

: Meet at 12.15pm for 12.30pm for the Association Annual Lunch at Admirals House, Tower Street, Ipswich. We will proceed to Christ Church, Tacket Street for a short recital at 2.00pm given by Paul Austen and Hugh Singleton.

Saturday 15 February 2020: Trinity College Cambridge CANCELLED

: By Coach to Cambridge leaving Ipswich at 8.30am. Harrison Cole will give a recital on the Organ of Trinity College after which members will be able to play the instrument which has recently undergone some technical changes. Harrison will arrange for us to visit another College nearby before lunch.

At 2.00pm we will assemble at Wesley Methodist Church for a recital by some of our Student Members on the William Hill 1841 Organ which was originally built for the Eastbrook Hall Methodist Mission in Bradford. Most of the Hill features were preserved and enhanced when it was moved to Cambridge about twenty years ago by Percy Daniels and Co. As usual, Tea and Cake will be served at the end of the meeting. Members will be able to play this interesting instrument. Return to Ipswich by c. 6.30pm.

Monday 2 March 2020: Central London Outing CANCELLED

: By the 08.43 train to London. Hear and play the Organs of St Peter’s Eaton Square and St Saviour’s Church, Pimlico before attending Evensong at Westminster Abbey at 5.00pm.

After which it is 90% certain we can cross to Methodist Central Hall to hear and play the 4 manual Hill/Harrison organ rebuilt in 2011. We shall return on the 20.30hrs train from Liverpool Street.

Saturday 4 April 2020: Conducting and training a choir CANCELLED

Christopher Moore will help our Student members in the art of conducting and training a choir. This is an opportunity to bring along partners and members of choirs you may train or sing with.

The anthems will be taken from the latest version of Oxford Easy Anthems. We will gather at 2.00pm at St Matthews Church Ipswich. As usual – Tea and Cake! NB: No parking at the Church. Park in Car Park next to the Wolsey Theatre and pray for no home match!

Monday 20 April to Thursday 23 April 2020: Three day visit to Edinburgh CANCELLED

By train. More details to come later. There is a Premier Inn in Princes Street and a Holiday Inn close by Waverley Station. Please book your hotel well in advance for the three night stay as Edinburgh is always busy.

The President Elect, Martin Ellis is in touch with Dr John Kitchen who with James Crowe will help him with the visits to organs around the City. A two day organ crawl!!

Saturday 16 May 2020: Organ Recital and the AGM. CANCELLED

At 3.00pm, Jeremy Lloyd, Assistant DOM at Rochester Cathedral,will give an Organ Recital on the Hele 3 manual organ in Stowmarket Parish Church.

We will proceed to Stowmarket URC for Tea and Cake followed by the AGM of the Association.

PROGRAMME 2020-2021

Here were the details made by the President-Elect, Nicholas Jardine, now President, of the meetings which he had planned to take place subsequent to the cancelled AGM of May 2020. Sadly none of these events were able to take place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

• Saturday 13 June 2020 2pm A talk by John Norman: British Organ Builders and the Search for the Bach organ (Ipswich)
• Saturday 11 July 2020 2pm Roger Green: Improvisation Workshop (Stowmarket)
• Saturday 15 August 2020 2pm Members play JS Bach at St. Nicholas's Church, Witham with Ricahrd Brasier
• Saturday 26 September 2020 [all day](Elms + St Mary-le-Tower Ipswich) Annual Organ Competitions: Adjudicator Catherine Ennis
• Saturday 24 October 2020 Ashley Grote - Lecture/Recital: The influence of Buxtehude on Bach (Lion Walk Colchester)
• Thursday 19 November 2020 7.30pm St Mary-le-Tower Ipswich Michael Frith: Talk about and performance of Messiaen's Nativite
• Saturday 23 January 2021 Organists and Architecture: A talk by Roger Pulham. (Ipswich)
• Saturday 21 February 2021 Composite Recital by members at St. Mary's Church Woodbridge
• Saturday 21 March 2021 Suffolk Organs: A day out in the country.
• Saturday 17 April Bach Plus: A recital by Peter Crompton (RHS Holbrook)
• Saturday 8 May 2021 AGM (venue TBC)