This is a post from 2014, but the RCO continues to run its Organ Student Experience Courses for teenage organists every year – for the latest check the RCO’s Courses and Classes.
Next week 38 teenagers* are gathering in Cambridge to ‘live the life of an organ scholar’ on the RCO’s ‘The Organ Scholar Experience’ course (TOSE). They will have tuition in repertoire and keyboard skills and will also sing, accompany and conduct two services of choral compline and two of choral evensong. Quite a responsibility. All the services plus the four recitals by the tutorial team are open to the public (and you can see from the list below that the tutorial team is pretty impressive!)
For quick reference here is a summary:
Organ recitals from TOSE tutors: Oliver Brett (17:15, Tuesday 29 July, King’s); Henry Fairs (13:10, Wednesday 30 July, Trinity ; Daniel Moult (19:30, Thursday 31 July, Ely Cathedral); Anne Page (13:10, Friday 1 August, Pembroke). Also student showcase recital (19:30, Saturday 2 August, St John’s).
Choral services directed and performed by students: Tuesday 29 July, 21:30 (Compline, Peterhouse); Wednesday 30 July, 17:30 (Evensong, Trinity); Thursday 31 July, 21:15 (Compline, Ely Cathedral Lady Chapel); Friday 1 August, 17:30 (Evensong, Sidney Sussex); Sunday 3 August, 15:30 (Evensong, St John’s).
Except for the Ely recital where admission is £10 (accompanied under 16s free) at the door, admission to all events is free, with a retiring collection at some.
Full listing available here.
*including 7 women I am pleased to hear. Go girls! – we need more lady organists
