UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 02 OCTOBER
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is to unveil its stunning new ‘Juliet’ organ in a week-long festival of free concerts and masterclasses featuring internationally celebrated concert organists, from 4-10 November.
The new 1,138 pipe organ has been custom-built by UK specialists William Drake Ltd for RBC’s dedicated Organ Studio.
The Inaugural Festival will include performances and talks by Daniel Moult (Head of Organ, RBC), and colleague and organ tutor Nicholas Wearne; award-winning organist and RBC Junior Fellow Carolyn Craig; Henry Fairs (Professor of Organ at the Universität der Künste, Berlin, and former Head of Organ at RBC); and Anna-Victoria Baltrusch (Professor of Organ at the Evangelische Hochschule für Kirchenmusik, Halle).
Romantic music from England (the organ’s tonal inspiration), France and Germany are at the heart of the programme and composers include Elgar, Parry, Saint-Saëns, Franck, Schumann, Price and many others.
Alongside the concerts, students from the highly-acclaimed organ department will explore the repertoire in public masterclasses, and Daniel Moult will give a masterclass for invited school students from across the UK.
The building of the instrument will also be the subject of a short, filmed documentary, to be completed with footage from the inaugural festival and released in the new year.
The new ‘Juliet’ organ is the second of five brand new instruments to be installed in RBC, thanks to generous multi-million pound donations.
Daniel Moult, Head of Organ at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, said: “The installation of the new ‘Juliet’ organ is a further step in training our talented student musicians to reach their full potential. The commissioning of these significant new organs enables us to educate and inspire in ways previously unimagined. We’re also excited by the opportunities it offers us to introduce the organ to school children across the city and to others unfamiliar with the instrument through special events.”
Stephen Maddock OBE, Principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, added: “The wonderful ‘Juliet’ organ adds to the existing state-of-the-art facilities and top level teaching to cement Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s reputation as a centre of excellence for the training of world-class organists. We are immensely grateful for the major donations that have made this possible.”
Devon-based organ builders William Drake Ltd, established in 1974, have built new organs for the Houses of Parliament chapel, Westminster Abbey song school, St Paul’s Cathedral OBE chapel and many other places of note.
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s inaugural organ festival runs from 4-10 November. All events are free, booking recommended. Find out more details by visiting our concerts page.
Notes to editors
‘Juliet’ is a 19-stop romantic practice organ, based on established English traditions with a leaning towards the 19th century up to the early 1880s, with two manuals, a coupler manual and pedals.
Learn more about the technical information by visiting the William Drake webpage.
Festival listings
Location: Organ Studio, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, 200 Jennens Road, Birmingham, B4 7XR.
Admission is free to all events but space is limited, so early booking is advised.
Monday 4 November, 2pm:
Masterclass: Daniel Moult & Nicholas Wearne, with RBC organ students
Tuesday 5 November, 6pm:
Opening Concert: Daniel Moult & Nicholas Wearne
Edward Elgar: Allegro maestoso from Organ Sonata in G major
Ethel Smyth: Du, O schönes Weltgebäude!
Camille Saint-Säens: Fantaisie in E flat major
Nadia Boulanger: Petit Canon
César Franck: Pastorale
Charles H H Parry: Chorale Prelude on Martyrdom
Felix Mendelssohn arr. W.T Best: Overture to St Paul
Wednesday 6 November, 5pm:
Pre-concert talk: Carolyn Craig
Wednesday 6 November, 6pm:
Concert: Carolyn Craig
Felix Mendelssohn: Sonata in A major
Ethel Smyth: Praeludium und Fuge über O Traurigkeit, o Herzeleid
Johanna Senfter: Fantasie und Fuge über Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern
Horatio Parker: Allegretto from Organ Sonata in E flat
Louis Vierne: Naïades from Pièces de fantaisie
Florence Price: Sonata for Organ
Thursday 7 November, 2pm:
Masterclass: Henry Fairs with RBC organ students
Friday 8 November, 5pm:
Pre-concert talk: Henry Fairs
Friday 8 November, 6pm:
Concert
Henry Fairs
Carl Reinecke: Sonate für Orgel Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern
Robert Schumann: Studien für den Pedalflügel
Sigfrid Karg-Elert: Nun ruhen alle Wälder- Symphonischer Choral
Saturday 9 November, 2pm:
Masterclass: Daniel Moult, with young organ students from across the UK
Saturday 9 November, 5pm:
Pre-concert talk: Anna-Victoria Baltrusch
Saturday 9 November, 6pm:
Concert
Anna-Victoria Baltrusch
Charles Villiers Stanford: Fantasia and Toccata Op 57
George Friederic Handel arr. Noel Rawsthorne: Largo from Serse
August Gottfried Ritter: Organ Sonata No 1
Joseph Gabriel Rheinberger: Vision – Passacaglia – Abendfriede, from 12 Charakterstücke
Anton Bruckner: Nachspiel in D minor
Edward Elgar: Allegretto from Organ Sonata in G major
Franz Liszt: Praeludium und Fuga über das Name BACH
Sunday 10 November (not open to the public):
Masterclass: Anna-Victoria Baltrusch with RBC organ students
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