The Play the Organ Year campaign aims to create as many opportunities as possible for people to not just hear, but also play, an organ for the first time.
Organists and venues are being encouraged to plan First Encounter organ recitals throughout 2025, including specially designed Play the Organ sessions for newcomers wherever possible.
In addition, organists can participate by using Play the Organ Year material to introduce one or more new people to the instrument over the course of the year.
A Play the Organ Year listings page – at rco.org.uk/play – is open for organists and venues to upload details of their Play the Organ Year events, so that people can search for events near them throughout the year. The site also includes a free downloadable Play the Organ Year resource pack, including how-to guides and advice, branded content and templates, and detailed plans and resources for hands-on Play the Organ sessions suitable for anyone from a complete music novice to someone with a little experience of piano or other keyboard instruments.
Digital resources will also be published on YouTube and Instagram, providing opportunities for anyone unable to attend a physical Play the Organ Year event to take part on keyboard instruments at home.
Organisations involved in the initiative include the Royal College of Organists, Incorporated Association of Organists, Royal School of Church Music, Society of Women Organists, British Institute of Organ Studies, Institute of British Organ Building, The Organ Club, the Cathedral Organists Association, and the Association of Assistant Cathedral Organists.
Organist and broadcaster Anna Lapwood MBE is Play the Organ Year’s patron, regional ambassadors John Kitchen (Scotland); Sarah MacDonald (East of England); Richard McVeigh (South of England); Stephen Moore (Wales); Daniel Moult (West Midlands); Matthew Owens (Northern Ireland); and David Pipe (North of England).
Lapwood said: ‘The organ is a unique and fabulous instrument, and we want as many people as possible to discover how truly thrilling it is to play one!
‘No one knows this better than organists, so I hope that as many of us as possible take up the Play the Organ Year challenge to throw open the doors and make 2025 the year we share this remarkable experience with a record number of people.’
Play the Organ Year will be launched with a First Encounter event on the afternoon of Sunday 19 January at Central Hall Westminster, in London.
- rco.org.uk/play
- For further reading, see musicteachermagazine.co.uk/content/features/organ-courses-for-young-pianists
