Outstanding young organists play RCO recitals at Three Choirs Festival

Four young organists have been selected by the Royal College of Organists to feature in recitals at this year’s Three Choirs Festival.

Each of the four has been selected for their outstanding performance in achieving the College’s ARCO diploma over the last 18 months.

The Three Choirs Festival, held each year since the early eighteenth century, and rotating between the three great cathedral cities of Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford is one of the world’s oldest classical choral music festivals. The 2009 Festival takes place in Hereford from August 8th to 15th.

The Young Organist Recitals all take place at Holy Trinity Church, Whitecross Road, Hereford at 1pm on August 10th, 11th, 13th and 14th, as follows:

Monday 10th August – Lawrence Thain, organ scholar at New College, Oxford, with a programme featuring music by J S Bach, Franck, Howells and Duruflé;

Tuesday 11th August – David Gerrard, organ scholar at Northallerton Parish Church and organ scholar elect to Canterbury Cathedral, with music by Pachelbel, J S Bach, Koetsier, Howells and Mendelssohn;

Thursday 13th August – David Grealy, organ scholar at Westminster Cathedral, with a programme including Mendelssohn, J S Bach and Dupré;

Friday 14th August – Simon Walker, organ scholar at St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral and accompanist to the Edinburgh University Music Society Chorus, with music by J S Bach, Mendelssohn, Vierne and Guilmant.

For more information on the Three Choirs Festival, and the Young Organist Recitals, visit www.3choirs.org/home.

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Picture: Clockwise from top right: David Gerrard, David Grealy, Simon Walker, Lawrence Thain