St Albans International Organ Festival: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Latest revision as of 13:55, 20 October 2024

The International Organ Festival (IOF) is a biennial music festival and organ competition held in St Albans, England since 1963. Originally held annually, it was changed to every two years in 1965 due to the complexity of organising the increasingly ambitious programme. The festival is run mainly by volunteers.

Background

The festival was conceived by the organist and choirmaster of St Albans Cathedral, Peter Hurford, to celebrate the building of a new organ at the cathedral by Harrison & Harrison. The main competitions are still conducted on this instrument, its eclectic style and modern electropneumatic action now complemented by another self-contained tracker action instrument which the International Organ Festival Society, the charity which runs the Festival, has had built for its own use and sited at St Saviour's Church, St Albans. This was built by Peter Collins in the style of, and in homage to, the early 18th century German organ builder Andreas Silbermann. There is a new (2005) organ in St Peter's Church, St Albans by Mander Organs, which played a role in the festival and competitions from 2007.

Recent competitions have also visited London, with competition rounds regularly held at Christ Church Spitalfields and, in 2017, a concerto final at St John's Smith Square.

There are two main competitions, the interpretation competition and the improvisation competition (formerly known as the Tournemire Prize). Judges have included Piet Kee, Marie-Claire Alain, Anton Heiller, Ralph Downes, Harry Croft-Jackson, Thomas Trotter, Ton Koopman, Naji Hakim, Daniel Roth and David Sanger. The competition is considered prestigious, as may be judged by the list of past winners (starting with Susan Landale in 1963 and Gillian Weir in 1964), and judges have occasionally decided not to award first prize.

The Artistic Director and Executive Director since 2007 is David Titterington, professor of organ at the Royal Academy of Music.

The 2023 festival and competitions, marking the festival's 60th anniversary, took place from 3 to 15 July.

The Festival

The festival's associated concert series includes large orchestral and choral works, chamber music and solo performances, as well as evening jazz. The Three Choirs concert is an audience favourite, in which over the years the choristers of St Albans Cathedral have been joined by many of England's most celebrated cathedral choirs (for instance, in 2013 Salisbury Cathedral & York Minster, in 2015 Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and Westminster Cathedral, and in 2017 St Paul's Cathedral & Temple Church).

Many of the great orchestras (the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and others) have played in the Festival, and there have been recitals and concerts from performers such as John Williams, Sarah Walker, Musica Antiqua Köln, Evelyn Glennie, Emma Kirkby, James Bowman and Julian Perkins. Concerts have sometimes been broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Many concerts take place in the Cathedral, but the Festival takes place all over St Albans with other regular venues including St Peter's Church and St Saviour's Church.

The 2021 Festival was one of the first events to take place after Covid-19 restrictions were partially relaxed in the UK. Performers included Nicola Benedetti with Aurora Orchestra, Tenebrae, Jess Gillam, Steven Osborne and Roderick Williams.

The Fringe

The IOF Fringe presents community-focused performances in a wide range of formal and unconventional venues.

Events were mostly outdoors in historic parts of the City such as in front of the Clock Tower and in the Tudor streets of St Michael's or in the Alban Arena. Artists taking part included Seth Lakeman, The Swanvesta Social Club and Isla St Clair.

Previously, cabaret events and other entertainment had been run as part of the festival, including performances from Richard Stilgoe, Jake Thackray, Instant Sunshine and others.

Past winners

The following individuals have won prizes at the festival.^[1]

Interpretation competition

1963 Susan Landale, UK
1964 Gillian Weir, UK
1965 Hans Joachim Bartsch, Germany
1967 Danièle Gullo, France
1969 David Sanger, UK
1971 Larry Cortner, USA
1973 Jan Overduin, The Netherlands / Walter Glyn Jenkins, UK
1975 Lynne Davis, USA
1977 Peggy Haas, USA / Marcus Huxley, UK (joint second)
1979 Thomas Trotter, UK
1981 David Rowland, UK (second prize)
1983 Kevin Bowyer, UK
1985 Kimberly Marshall, USA
1985 Diane Meredith Belcher, USA "(second prize)"
1987 Bas de Vroome, The Netherlands (second prize)
1989 Mikael Wahlin, Sweden
1991 Joseph Adam, USA
1993 Gabriel Marghieri, France
1995 Mattias Wager, Sweden
1997 David Goode, UK (second prize)
1999 Pier-Damiano Peretti, Italy
2001 Johannes Unger, Germany
2003 Herman Jordaan, South Africa
2005 Andrew Dewar, UK
2007 Ulrich Walther, Germany
2009 Konstantin Volostnov, Russia
2011 David Baskeyfield, UK
2013 Simon Thomas Jacobs, UK
2015 Johannes Zeinler, Austria
2017 Thomas Gaynor, New Zealand
2019 Kumi Choi, South Korea
2021 Competition was held virtually due to Covid-19, with no first prize
2023 Sunkyung Noh, South Korea

Improvisation competition

1963 Guy Bovet, Switzerland
1964 André Isoir, France
1971 Hans Eugen Frischknecht, Switzerland
1973 Kees van Ersel, The Netherlands
1975 Nathan Ensign, USA
1977 Jos van der Kooy, The Netherlands
1979 Christoph Tietze, USA
1983 Naji Hakim, France
1985 Marie-Bernadette Dufourcet-Hakim, France
1987 David Drury, Australia
1991 Christoph Kuhlmann, Germany
1993 David Briggs, UK
1997 Martin Baker, UK
2001 Hayo Boerema, The Netherlands / Thomas Lennartz, Germany (joint second)
2003 Robert Houssart, The Netherlands
2005 Gerben Mourik, The Netherlands
2007 not awarded
2009 Jean-Baptiste Dupont, France
2011 Paul Goussot, France
2013 Martin Sturm, Germany
2015 David Cassan, France
2017 not awarded
2019 Gabriele Agrimonti, Italy
2021 No improvisation competition was held

References

^ "Organ Festival Archive: prize-winners".

External links

St Albans International Organ Festival website

[StAlbansWinners-1] "Organ Festival Archive: prize-winners".

[1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{More citations needed |date=October 2016}}
 <!--  Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:CollinsOrganConsole.jpg|thumbnail|right|300px|The console of the Peter Collins organ built for the [[St Albans International Organ Festival]].]] -->
-The '''International Organ Festival''' (IOF) is a biennial music festival and organ competition held in [[St Albans]], [[England]] since 1963.  Originally held annually, it was changed to every two years in 1965 due to the complexity of organising the increasingly ambitious programme.  The festival is run mainly by volunteers.
+The '''International Organ Festival''' '''(IOF)''' is a biennial music festival and organ competition held in [[St Albans]], [[England]] since 1963. Originally held annually, it was changed to every two years in 1965 due to the complexity of organising the increasingly ambitious programme. The festival is run mainly by volunteers.
 ==Background==
-The festival was conceived by [[Peter Hurford]] to celebrate the building of the new organ in [[St Albans Cathedral]] by [[Harrison & Harrison]]. The main competitions are still conducted on this instrument, its eclectic style and modern electropneumatic action now complemented by another self-contained [[tracker action]] instrument which The International Organ Festival Society, the charity which runs the Festival, has had built for its own use and sited at St Saviour's Church, St Albans.  This was built by [[Peter Collins (organ builder)|Peter Collins]] in the style of, and in homage to, the early 18th century German organ builder [[Andreas Silbermann]]. There is a new (2005) organ in [[St. Peter's Church, St. Albans|St Peter's Church, St Albans]] by [[Mander Organs]], which has played a role in the festival and competitions since 2007.
+The festival was conceived by the organist and choirmaster of [[St Albans Cathedral]], [[Peter Hurford]], to celebrate the building of a new organ at the cathedral by [[Harrison & Harrison]]. The main competitions are still conducted on this instrument, its eclectic style and modern electropneumatic action now complemented by another self-contained [[tracker action]] instrument which the International Organ Festival Society, the charity which runs the Festival, has had built for its own use and sited at St Saviour's Church, St Albans.  This was built by [[Peter Collins (organ builder)|Peter Collins]] in the style of, and in homage to, the early 18th century German organ builder [[Andreas Silbermann]]. There is a new (2005) organ in [[St. Peter's Church, St. Albans|St Peter's Church, St Albans]] by [[Mander Organs]], which played a role in the festival and competitions from 2007.
+Recent competitions have also visited London, with competition rounds regularly held at [[Christ Church Spitalfields]] and, in 2017, a concerto final at [[St John's Smith Square]].
-There are two main competitions, the '''interpretation competition''' and the '''improvisation competition''' (formerly known as the '''Tournemire Prize''').  Judges have included [[Piet Kee]], [[Marie-Claire Alain]], [[Anton Heiller]], [[Ralph Downes]], [[Thomas Trotter]], [[Ton Koopman]], [[Naji Hakim]], [[Daniel Roth (organist)|Daniel Roth]] and [[David Sanger (organist)|David Sanger]].  The competition is considered prestigious, as may be judged by the list of past winners, and judges have occasionally decided not to award first prize.
+There are two main competitions, the '''interpretation competition''' and the '''improvisation competition''' (formerly known as the '''Tournemire Prize''').  Judges have included [[Piet Kee]], [[Marie-Claire Alain]], [[Anton Heiller]], [[Ralph Downes]], [[Harry Croft-Jackson]], [[Thomas Trotter (musician)|Thomas Trotter]], [[Ton Koopman]], [[Naji Hakim]], [[Daniel Roth (organist)|Daniel Roth]] and [[David Sanger (organist)|David Sanger]].  The competition is considered prestigious, as may be judged by the list of past winners (starting with Susan Landale in 1963 and [[Gillian Weir]] in 1964), and judges have occasionally decided not to award first prize.
-Alongside the festival there is an exhibition of organs by the major British organ builders, and during the week there are demonstration recitals played on these.
+The Artistic Director and Executive Director since 2007 is [[David Titterington]], professor of organ at the [[Royal Academy of Music]].
-The main concert series includes large orchestral and choral works, solo performances, and cabaret in the evenings.  Many of the great orchestras (the [[Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]], the [[Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra]] and others) have played in the Festival, and there have been recitals and concerts from performers such as [[John Williams (guitarist)|John Williams]], [[Sarah Walker (opera singer)|Sarah Walker]], [[Musica Antiqua Köln]], [[Evelyn Glennie]], [[Emma Kirkby]] and [[James Bowman (countertenor)|James Bowman]]. Concerts have sometimes been broadcast on [[BBC Radio 3]].  Most of the concerts take place in the Cathedral, but some take place in St Saviour's.
+The 2023 festival and competitions, marking the festival's 60th anniversary, took place from 3 to 15 July.
-The artistic directors have almost all been the Master of the Music of the Cathedral from the time of the founding of the festival by Peter Hurford until today. The current Artistic Director is David Titterington, professor of organ at the Royal Academy of Music.
+==The Festival==
-The 2007 Festival (which took place 12–20 July) featured organists [[Ludger Lohmann]], David Titterington, Lynne Davis, [[Paul Jacobs (organist)|Paul Jacobs]], Martin Baker (all Jury Members) and Simon Johnson and Richard Pinel; the choirs of St Albans Cathedral, [[Choir of St John's College, Cambridge|St John's College, Cambridge]], [[Saint Thomas Church (New York City)|St Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, NYC]]; St Albans Abbey Girls' Choir, St Albans Bach Choir, Black Voices, the [[Hilliard Ensemble]]; Sinfonia Verdi; solo artists [[Catherine Bott]] and [[John Lill]]; and conductors [[John Scott (organist)|John Scott]], [[David Hill (choral director)|David Hill]] and Andrew Lucas.
+The festival's associated concert series includes large orchestral and choral works, chamber music and solo performances, as well as evening jazz. The Three Choirs concert is an audience favourite, in which over the years the choristers of [[St Albans Cathedral]] have been joined by many of England's most celebrated cathedral choirs (for instance, in 2013 [[Salisbury Cathedral Choir|Salisbury Cathedral]] & [[The Minster School, York|York Minster]], in 2015 [[Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford]] and [[Westminster Cathedral#Choir|Westminster Cathedral]], and in 2017 [[St Paul's Cathedral#Choir|St Paul's Cathedral]] & [[Temple Church#Music at the Temple Church|Temple Church]]).
+Many of the great orchestras (the [[Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]], the [[Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra]] and others) have played in the Festival, and there have been recitals and concerts from performers such as [[John Williams (guitarist)|John Williams]], [[Sarah Walker (opera singer)|Sarah Walker]], [[Musica Antiqua Köln]], [[Evelyn Glennie]], [[Emma Kirkby]], [[James Bowman (countertenor)|James Bowman]] and [[Julian Perkins]].  Concerts have sometimes been broadcast on [[BBC Radio 3]]. Many concerts take place in the Cathedral, but the Festival takes place all over St Albans with other regular venues including St Peter's Church and St Saviour's Church.
+The 2021 Festival was one of the first events to take place after Covid-19 restrictions were partially relaxed in the UK. Performers included [[Nicola Benedetti]] with [[Aurora Orchestra]], [[Tenebrae (choir)|Tenebrae]], [[Jess Gillam]], [[Steven Osborne (pianist)|Steven Osborne]] and [[Roderick Williams]].
 ==The Fringe==
+The IOF Fringe presents community-focused performances in a wide range of formal and unconventional venues.
-In 2007 for the first time [http://www.leisureconnection.co.uk/content/4/193/festivals.html St Albans Festival] came together with the International Organ Festival to provide a fringe programme. Events were mostly outdoors in historic parts of the City such as in front of the [[Clock Tower, St Albans|Clock Tower]] and in the Tudor streets of St Michael's or in the [[Alban Arena]]. Artists taking part included [[Seth Lakeman]], [[The Swanvesta Social Club]] and [[Isla St Clair]].
+Events were mostly outdoors in historic parts of the City such as in front of the [[Clock Tower, St Albans|Clock Tower]] and in the Tudor streets of St Michael's or in the [[Alban Arena]]. Artists taking part included [[Seth Lakeman]], [[The Swanvesta Social Club]] and [[Isla St Clair]].
 Previously, cabaret events and other entertainment had been run as part of the festival, including performances from [[Richard Stilgoe]], [[Jake Thackray]], [[Instant Sunshine]] and others.
+== Past winners==
-== Past winners<ref name="StAlbansWinners">{{cite web |url=http://www.organfestival.com/St_Albans_International_Organ_Festival/Competitions_files/IOF%20Prize%20Winners.pdf |title=St. Albans International Organ Festival Past Prize Winners |last=Hamill |first=Steve |work=St Albans International Organ Festival |date=2014-03-31 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.organfestival.com/St_Albans_International_Organ_Festival/Competitions_files/IOF%20Prize%20Winners.pdf |archivedate=2014-06-22 |accessdate=2014-06-22 }}</ref> ==
+The following individuals have won prizes at the festival.<ref name="StAlbansWinners">{{cite web |url=https://organfestival.com/history/archive/archive-prize-winners/ |title=Organ Festival Archive: prize-winners}}</ref>
 === Interpretation competition ===
@@ Line 33: / Line 43: @@
 *1975	[[Lynne Davis]], USA
 *1977	[[Peggy Haas]], USA / [[Marcus Huxley]], UK ''(joint second)''
-*1979	[[Thomas Trotter]], UK
+*1979	[[Thomas Trotter (musician)|Thomas Trotter]], UK
 *1981	[[David Rowland (organist)|David Rowland]], UK ''(second prize)''
 *1983	[[Kevin Bowyer]], UK
@@ Line 40: / Line 50: @@
 *1987	[[Bas de Vroome]], The Netherlands ''(second prize)''
 *1989	[[Mikael Wahlin]], Sweden
-*1991	[[Joseph Adam]], USA
+*1991	[[Joseph Adam (musician)|Joseph Adam]], USA
 *1993	[[Gabriel Marghieri]], France
 *1995	[[Mattias Wager]], Sweden
@@ Line 53: / Line 63: @@
 *2013   Simon Thomas Jacobs, UK
 *2015   Johannes Zeinler, Austria
+*2017   Thomas Gaynor, New Zealand
+*2019   Kumi Choi, South Korea
+*2021   Competition was held virtually due to Covid-19, with no first prize
+*2023   Sunkyung Noh, South Korea
 === Improvisation competition ===
@@ Line 76: / Line 90: @@
 *2013 	Martin Sturm, Germany
 *2015   David Cassan, France
+*2017   not awarded
+*2019   Gabriele Agrimonti, Italy
+*2021   No improvisation competition was held
 == References ==
+{{Reflist}}
-<references/>
 == External links ==
-*[http://www.organfestival.com/ IOFS website]
+*[https://www.organfestival.com/ St Albans International Organ Festival website]
-{{Classical music festival}}
+{{Authority control}}
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Albans International Organ Festival}}
 [[Category:Music festivals established in 1963]]
 [[Category:Classical music festivals in England]]
-[[Category:Pipe organ]]
+[[Category:Pipe organ festivals]]
 [[Category:Music competitions in the United Kingdom]]
-[[Category:St Albans]]
+[[Category:St Albans|International Organ Festival]]
 [[Category:Music festivals in Hertfordshire]]