Salisbury Cathedral and pipe up! Open Day for young organists

Salisbury Cathedral and pipe up! are running a free open day on Saturday 8 February 2014 for young organists and keyboard players aged between 11 and 20 years.

This will be is a great opportunity for students from Grade 2 standard upwards to visit the Cathedral and see and hear its famous Father Willis organ demonstrated by David Halls, Director of Music, and John Challenger, the Cathedral’s Assistant Director of Music. David Halls and his colleagues will also run two informal masterclass sessions for the young organists, where they perform and work with him on their own pieces. Thanks to a large video screen and microphones, what goes on in the organ loft will be heard and seen by their family and friends sitting below in the quire.

Robert Fielding, who heads up the pipe up! initiative, said “We are extremely grateful to David Halls and John Challenger for their enthusiasm and input into what will be an inspiring day for these young organists. We are also grateful for the support of Salisbury Cathedral and its staff.”

David Halls, Director of Music at the Cathedral and Chairman of the Salisbury and District Organists’ Association, said “I am very keen to support pipe up! which encourages young musicians to learn the organ and gain experience playing the instrument. I am delighted to be hosting this event as it gives me a chance to meet young musicians and do my bit to encourage them to work at and enthuse about the ‘king of instruments’. I hope that our young guests will enjoy this opportunity to play the marvellous cathedral organ and take their musical skills and enthusiasms to their own churches.”