IAO Eastern Regional Day at Our Lady and English Martyrs, and other venues in central Cambridge

Following on from the IAO Eastern Region Organ Day based around French organ music in the liturgy, hosted by the Essex Organists’ Association in 2023 at Chelmsford Cathedral, this year’s IAO Eastern Region Organ Day, hosted by the Cambridge Organists’ Association, took place at the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and the English Martyrs (OLEM) on the Hills Road in Cambridge. About 45 people were in attendance, including a pleasing number of EOA members. After registration and coffee, there was a brief introduction and welcome from the President of the Cambridge Organists’ Association, Charles Hall, and from the Director of Music at OLEM, Nigel Kerry. In the morning we were treated to a very interesting and thought-provoking Keynote Address prepared and presented by Alexander Berry, Director of Music at Great St Mary’s in Cambridge since 2023 and Director of Music at Bradford Cathedral before that, on the very important topic of working with young people and encouraging them in church music – both choral singing and organ playing – followed by a lengthy and wide-ranging Q&A session. In the afternoon, representatives from each of the participating Associations took part in a composite recital at OLEM. There were open console sessions during the lunch break and after the recital at three different venues, and the organ in OLEM was also available for people to play immediately after the recital.