Choir & Organ

Choir & Organ shines a global spotlight on two distinctive fields of creativity, celebrating inventiveness and excellence in all their forms. We aim to inspire our readers through giving a platform to conductors, organists, composers, and choirs of every kind; and showcasing the imaginative craft of pipe organ building across the centuries, critiquing new organs and tackling ethics in restoring historic instruments.

The power of music education

Choir & Organ

LUKE FITZGERALD TO REPLACE ANNA LAPWOOD AT PEMBROKE

New organ for St Barts

St John’s College to install historic ‘Father’ Willis organ in chapel

SALISBURY CATHEDRAL ACQUIRES NEW CHAMBER ORGAN

IN BRIEF

Three Choirs announces Hereford Festival programme

SIMON LINDLEY (1948-2025)

JOHN NORMAN (1932-2025)

EDOARDO BELLOTTI (1957-2025)

ORGANISING AND PRESENTING PLAY THE ORGAN WORKSHOPS

PREMIERE SPOTLIGHT

RECITAL ROOM

Finding the soul in sacred music in an age of reason and doubt • Composer Patrick Hawes reflects on the philosophical shifts that changed the language of choral music – and calls for a revival of music that touches the soul as well as the mind

David Hill In conversation with … George McPhee • Organist and Director of Music, Paisley Abbey

Ethel Smyth • As the original score to Smyth’s Mass in D is discovered in Liverpool, Leah Broad takes a deeper look at the composer’s choral music

Glory restored • Matthew Power visits the ‘cathedral of North London’ where the painstaking restoration of its ‘Father’ Willis organ is complete. Andrew Scott details the work done by Harrison & Harrison Ltd

Tempo, articulation and key release • Responding to the variance of wind and weight in historic organs

Sacred music with a modern pulse • Ahead of two premieres, Stephen Pritchard talks to the British composer Joanna Marsh about her striking triptych for St John’s, Cambridge, her new Psalm for Chichester, and why setting sacred text is never just about tradition

Choral Communities • Clare Stevens explores the strength and unique offering of Liverpool’s amateur choral scene

Global spirit • From its postwar beginnings as a beacon of peace through performance, the Llangollen International Eisteddfod continues to unite choirs from across the globe. Its message of unity through the arts feels more vital than ever, finds Clare Stevens

Surge • A new organ piece from Jamie Powe is both approachable and engaging. The composer talks to Matthew Power

Unearthing hidden voices • David Wordsworth explores the rich yet often overlooked choral traditions of Switzerland, tracing a century of innovation from Bloch to Villard

Lasting legacy • As the historic Three Choirs Festival, rooted in the English choral tradition, welcomes a new chapter under CEO David Francis, Hattie Butterworth looks at the ambitious 2025 Festival, taking place in Hereford, and plans for the future

Sacred tradition • Palestrina’s name has become shorthand for sacred polyphony – but 500 years since his birth, how much do we really know of the man behind the music? Rebecca Tavener traces his journey through history and considers how best we might perform and record him today

Palestrina recorded

Fit for a queen • Henry Fairs examines a new organ by the Dutch builder Orgelmakerij Reil, for the Luisenkirche, Berlin

Maintaining a legacy • Paul Hale talks to Daniel Spencer, principal of the London organ builder Bishop & Son, about existing historic instruments and current projects

Two centuries of history

IN THE STUDIO • EXPLORING THE WORLD OF CHORAL AND ORGAN RECORDINGS

REVIEWS • CONCERTS • KEYBOARD CDS • CHORAL CDS • DVDS • ORGAN MUSIC •...