EOA

Organ recital by Timara Easter, Waltham Abbey Church
2025-10-25 12:00 - 13:30 UTC | Waltham Abbey Church, Highbridge Street, Waltham Abbey, EN9 1DG

Concert - Richard Brasier (organ) with Anne Page (harmonium) and James Lipka (piano)
2025-11-01 16:00 - 18:00 | Exeter College Chapel, Turl Street, Oxford OX1 3DP
Part of the RCO Organ Forum on César Franck, but bookable separately.

"Pipe up for pipe organs" event, Broomfield Church Hall
2025-11-15 14:30 - 16:00 | Broomfield Church Hall, Broomfield Parish Church (St Mary with St Leonard), Church Green, Broomfield CM1 7BD
We were delighted that George Allan, Chairman of ‘Pipe Up for Pipe Organs’ (www.pipeup.org.uk), agreed to talk to EOA members in Broomfield Church Hall in November about the somewhat depressing future for pipe organs, in a talk entitled “Getting Disorganised?”. ‘Pipe Up for Pipe Organs’ is a charity set up in 2022, which aims to save pipe organs threatened with destruction. Perhaps the most well-known organ rescued by ‘Pipe Up’ is the Henry Jones organ (known as Henry) which is available for the public to play at London Bridge Station.
George Allan is a retired solicitor and an adult learner of the organ. After many years involvement with building conservation, his passion is now for organ conservation. His excellent talk contained many depressing statistics. For example, in Victorian times there were 43,000 organs, now there are 15,000. 1,280 Anglican churches closed during the 20-year period 1969-1989 and it is estimated that 2,000 churches will close over the next 5 years. But pipe organs are being lost even when churches are not closing. It is estimated that 1,520 churches have organs in urgent need of repair, and a further 6,000 need major repairs. On top of that, it is reckoned that 20% of organ-builders will retire in the next 10 years and won’t be replaced. Longer term projections suggest that half of Britain’s remaining organs could be lost or unplayable by 2040 (i.e. in just 15 years’ time). By 2065 it is possible that there will only be a handful of playable organs (estimated to be 165 instruments) remaining outside of cathedrals, Oxbridge colleges and major parish churches.
Unfortunately, there is no easy solution. One possibility might be to train churchwardens and people with responsibility of the care for church organs as to what can be done to keep their instruments playable. Money is clearly an issue, and George explained how the National Lottery Heritage Fund now rarely provides support for organ projects. The only other thing that can be done, it seems, is to advocate for the organ, by raising public awareness and increasing appreciation of the organ, attracting new audiences and encouraging more people – young people in particular – to take up the organ.
There then followed a very stimulating discussion and refreshments.

Organ recital by Chingyan Lo, Waltham Abbey Church
2025-11-29 12:00 - 13:30 | Waltham Abbey Church, Highbridge Street, Waltham Abbey, EN9 1DG

Organ recital - William Saunders, City Organist
2025-12-16 13:00 - 14:00 | Colchester Moot Hall, High Street, Colchester CO1 1PJ

EOA 75th Anniversary Luncheon with special Guest Speaker Daniel Moult
2026-01-31 12:30 - 15:30 | County Hotel, Chelmsford
Eighteen people attended the EOA 75th Anniversary Luncheon that took place at the end of January in a private dining room at the County Hotel in Chelmsford. We were delighted to be joined by special guest Daniel Moult who, in addition to being Head of Organ Studies at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, is well-known as an international concert organist, recording artist and film presenter.

Attendees enjoyed a delicious two-course lunch, followed by tea/coffee, and Dan changed tables between courses so that everybody got a chance to talk to him. Whilst we were waiting for tea/coffee to be served, Dan delivered a brilliant 15-minute carefully-prepared speech about organ performance, commenting that musical feeling is more important than accuracy, and recounting some hilarious tales of when things go very wrong. As Dan helpfully pointed out, the Royal Festival Hall is also 75 years old, and so Dan topped-and-tailed his speech by talking about the organ therein.

Following the success of this year’s Luncheon, your committee is considering holding another Luncheon next year and we already have a special guest speaker lined up.

Silent film event with Richard Hills
2026-02-12 19:30 - 21:30 | Colchester Moot Hall, High Street, Colchester CO1 1PJ

Try the organ day, 28th February, Southend High School for Boys
2026-02-28 09:30 - 21:00 | Southend High School for Boys, Prittlewell Chase, Southend-on-Sea SS0 0RG
On Saturday 28th February there is an Open Morning at Southend High School for Boys (Prittlewell Chase, Southend SS0 0RG) for anybody who would like to learn more about the organ (https://npor.org.uk/survey/K01507) and to have a go at playing it. Non-organists are welcome! Talks will take place at approximately 9.30am, 11am and 12.30pm. In the evening there is a Showcase Concert featuring musical talent from the School performing an eclectic mix of instruments and voices, as well as the organ (tickets £7 for adults). The Open Morning is taking place 9.30am – 2pm and the Showcase Concert starts at 7.30pm, so it is possible to combine both these events with the EOA Composite Recital that is taking place in Shenfield at 2.30pm the same day.

Composite Recital in aid of the Christopher Kingsley Memorial Fund
2026-02-28 14:30 - 17:00 | St Mary the Virgin, Shenfield, Hall Lane, Shenfield, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 9AL, United Kingdom
Do come along, if you are able, to the EOA Composite Recital taking place at Shenfield Parish Church (St Mary the Virgin, Shenfield CM15 9AL) on Saturday 28th February at 2.30pm. It promises to be a very varied and interesting programme. Several EOA members, together with a couple of special guests, are kindly donating their time and their talent in order to raise funds for the EOA’s Christopher Kingsley Memorial Fund (CKMF), which offers financial support towards the cost of items such as organ shoes, organ music and organ lessons to young organists who are living, working or studying in Essex. There is no charge for entry, but there will be a collection for the CKMF, so please bring some cash with you (payment by card or BACS is also possible) and please give generously! Donations for the refreshments will go to the church.
The recitalists are as follows (not in playing order):
Linden Carey-Bennett (Chorister, Chelmsford Cathedral)
Chris Denney (Southend-on-Sea)
Lyndon Ford (Portsmouth)
Emma Gibbins (Director of Music, Chelmsford Cathedral)
Krystian Kaniecki (Halstead)
Jonathan Lilley (Director of Music, Waltham Abbey Church)
Helen Lunn (Organ Scholar, Chelmsford Cathedral)
Philip Prior (Director of Music, St James the Great, Colchester)
The NPOR entry for the (3MP 32 stop) organ that the recitalists will be playing can be found at https://npor.org.uk/survey/E00670
If you require any further information about this event, please email organistassociation@gmail.com.

Organ recital - Richard Brasier
2026-03-01 16:00 - 17:00 | St Marylebone Parish Church, London NW1 5LT

Lunchtime Concerts at Chelmsford Cathedral, Chelmsford CM1 1TY
2026-03-06 12:00 - 2026-05-01 13:00 | Chelmsford Cathedral, Chelmsford, Essex
Friday 6th March at 1200 (tea/coffee from 1130): Adrian Partington (organ)
Friday 1st May at 1200 (tea/coffee from 1130): Emma Gibbins (organ)

Organ recital - Richard Brasier
2026-03-07 18:00 - 19:00 | St George’s German Lutheran Church, London E1 8EB

Moot Hall Monthly Recital Series at Colchester Town Hall, High Street, Colchester CO1 1PJ
2026-03-10 13:00 - 2026-06-09 14:00 | Colchester Moot Hall, High Street, Colchester CO1 1PJ
All recitals start at 1pm and last approximately 45 minutes. Admission is free, with a retiring collection in aid of the Friends of the Moot Hall Organ.
Tuesday 10th March: Claudia Grinnell (Director of Music, St Edmundsbury Cathedral)
Tuesday 14th April: Darius Battiwalla (Leeds City Organist)
Tuesday 12th May: Emma Gibbins (Director of Music, Chelmsford Cathedral)
Tuesday 9th June: Hilary Punnett (Assistant Director of Music, St Paul’s Cathedral)

Organ recital - Gillian Ward-Russell
2026-03-11 13:00 - 14:00 | United Reformed Church, Lion Walk, Colchester CO1 1LX

Organ recital - Lyndon Ford
2026-03-13 19:00 - 20:30 | St Mary’s Church, Chediston, Suffolk IP19 0AU

Organ recital - Emma Gibbins
2026-03-20 12:30 - 13:30 | St Stephen Walbrook, London EC4N 8BN

All day visit to organs in the Southend area
2026-03-21 10:00 - 17:00 | Southend
Members travelled to the Southend area on Saturday 21st for a visit hosted by committee member Chris Denney and Nancy his wife. We started at St Clements, Leigh on Sea, which dates from 1460. The Director of Music, Rory Windass, showed us the organ and demonstrated it for us. Our second stop was at St Mary’s, Prittlewell, where there has been a church on site since Saxon times in the 7th century, the Norman nave dating back to the 11th century with later additions. Unfortunately they do not have a regular organist at the moment but Paul Mckay (Vicar) welcomed us and the 1916 Hill organ performed excellently, filling the church with some wonderful sounds as well as having beautiful flute tones. Bach, Finzi, Cozyn and others sounded very fresh and all members very much enjoyed this instrument. After an excellent lunch at The Saxon King, we proceeded to St Alban the Martyr, Westcliff on Sea where we were met by Trish (churchwarden) who supplied us with refreshments, and David Adkins who talked about the church and the organ and gave us a short demonstration. Thanks to all the lovely people who looked after us and to Chris Denney for organising this enjoyable day.

Moot Hall Masterclasses at Colchester Town Hall, High Street, Colchester CO1 1PJ
2026-04-14 14:00 - 2026-05-12 15:30 | Colchester Moot Hall, High Street, Colchester CO1 1PJ
Masterclasses will start at c.2pm, following a recital by the person taking the masterclass.
Tuesday 14th April: ‘Navigating a Town Hall Instrument’ with Darius Battiwalla
Tuesday 12th May: ‘Confidence at the Console’ with Emma Gibbons
There are just four playing places available per masterclass, for “advanced students, organ scholars, experienced amateur organists, pianists/keyboard players transitioning to organ and anyone wanting experience on a large civic instrument”, but observers are welcome. To enquire about playing places or to find out more, contact the Colchester City Organist, William Saunders, via www.moothallorgan.co.uk/contact

Organ recital - Tim Patient
2026-04-29 12:30 - 13:00 | St Botolph-without-Aldgate, London EC3N 1AB

A Celebration of the Life and Music of Percy Whitlock (1903-1946)
2026-05-09 14:30 - 17:00 | Waltham Abbey Church, Highbridge Street, Waltham Abbey, EN9 1DG
On Saturday 9th May, we were delighted to welcome renowned Whitlock scholar, Malcolm Riley to give an illustrated talk about Percy Whitlock at Waltham Abbey Church. The talk was attended by members of the EOA, members of neighbouring Organists’ Associations and even attracted some non-members.
Malcolm gave a fascinating talk with plenty of insights into Whitlock’s life and music. We learnt about those who influenced Whitlock and helped him develop his own distinctive, idiomatic style, which combined elements of his teacher at London’s Royal College of Music, Vaughan Williams, elements from Elgar, Stanford and Rachmaninov, the influence of folksongs and traces of the lush harmonic style of Gershwin and other popular composers of the 1920s. The audience was particularly interested to learn about all the links and connections between musicians at that time.
Malcolm talked in some detail about Whitlock’s life, illustrated by many interesting photographs from his childhood, from his time at Rochester Cathedral, St Stephen’s Church in Bournemouth and as Bournemouth’s borough organist, playing at the Pavillion Theatre, regularly working with the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra.
We heard several musical examples, including the only known recording of Whitlock playing his own music, a tiny 16 second fragment of him playing the Scherzetto from the Organ Sonata, recorded in October 1945 on the Compton organ of St Osmund’s Parkstone.
After a break for refreshments, Jonathan Lilley, Director of Music at Waltham Abbey Church, gave a brilliant rendition of Whitlock’s Sonata in C minor. This was a truly breath-taking and magical performance, on a magnificent organ perfectly suited to Whitlock’s music. Everybody appreciated the variety of colours in Jonathan’s registrations, which really helped communicate the structure and form of this epic work, from the brassy four-note theme in the first movement, through the lyrical, wistful Elgarian motifs, the sombre chorale sections, the melodies on the solo clarinet to the grand fanfares and flourishes.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable and informative event.

Recital, Masterclass and Playing Opportunity at the Moot Hall, Colchester Town Hall
2026-05-12 11:30 - 17:00 | Colchester Moot Hall, High Street, Colchester CO1 1PJ
EOA President Emma Gibbins will be giving a recital and masterclass on the Moot Hall organ in Colchester Town Hall on Tuesday 12th May. It would be lovely to see other EOA members there. If you can come, you would be very welcome to join us for a late brunch / early lunch beforehand, from 11.30am, and there will be an opportunity to play the organ following the masterclass. There is no charge for this event, though members will be responsible for paying for their own brunch / lunch and there will be a retiring collection following the recital, in aid of the Friends of the Moot Hall Organ.
The proposed schedule for the day is as follows:
11.30am Brunch / Lunch at a nearby restaurant (probably Bill’s)
1pm Emma’s recital on the Moot Hall organ
2pm Emma’s masterclass on ‘Confidence at the Console’
3pm An opportunity for EOA members to play the Moot Hall organ
If you would like to join us for lunch and/or if you would like to play the Moot Hall organ, please contact Michaela Cottee (organistassociation@gmail.com) no later than Monday 4th May. If you would like to take part in the masterclass, please contact the Colchester City Organist, William Saunders, via www.moothallorgan.co.uk/contact.

Organ recital - Emma Gibbins
2026-05-12 13:00 - 14:00 | Colchester Moot Hall, High Street, Colchester CO1 1PJ

Summer Lunchtime Concert at St James the Great, East Hill, Colchester CO1 2QL
2026-06-02 12:30 - 14:30 | St James the Great, East Hill, Colchester CO1 2QL
On Tuesday 2nd June at 1300 (with light refreshments from 1215): Samuel Bristow (Assistant Director of
Music, Chelmsford Cathedral)

Organ recital - Michael Danes
2026-06-13 19:00 - 21:30 | St Nicholas Church, Tolleshunt D’Arcy
Free entry with light refreshments. Retiring collection in aid of Tolleshunt D’Arcy Village Larder and St Nicholas Church.

EOA AGM plus lunch and a concert at Chelmsford Cathedral
2026-06-27 12:00 - 16:00 | Chelmsford Cathedral, Chelmsford, Essex
We are planning to combine this year’s AGM with a concert taking place in Chelmsford Cathedral on Saturday 27th June and a meal. The provisional programme is as follows:
12pm Lunch in Chelmsford
2pm Samuel Bristow (Assistant Director of Music) will be performing Prokofiev’s musical fairytale ‘Peter and the Wolf’ at Chelmsford Cathedral, with narration by storyteller Mike Dodsworth.
3pm AGM in the Cathedral
Further details to follow. In the meantime, please save the date. If you require any further information about this event at this stage, or wish to express an interest in taking part, please contact Emma Gibbins on emmagibbins1978@gmail.com.

Organ recital - Stephen King
2026-06-27 19:30 - 21:30 | Southend High School for Boys, Prittlewell Chase, Southend-on-Sea SS0 0RG
On Saturday 27th June at 7:30pm, Stephen King (Organist Emeritus at Brentwood Cathedral) will give a recital at the Southend High School for Boys based on the theme of ‘dance’.

EOA Summer Social in Thaxted
2026-07-25 12:00 - 17:00 | Thaxted
This year’s Summer Social will take place on Saturday 25th July in the pretty little market town of Thaxted. We have arranged to visit Thaxted Parish Church, which is home to three organs: the historic 1821 3MP 23 organ by Henry Lincoln; a 1MP 8 organ by Cedric Arnold; and a 3MP digital organ (the Thaxted Festival organ) by Makin. We are also hoping to visit Bolford Street URC, which is home to a 2MP 14 organ by Cedric Arnold with painted pipes. We are planning to combine our visit with an early evening meal at the India Villa opposite the Parish Church. Further details to follow. In the meantime, please save the date. If you require any further information about this event at this stage, or wish to express an interest in taking part, please contact Michaela Cottee on organistassociation@gmail.com.

All Day Visit to Organs in the Bishops Stortford Area
2026-09-19 10:00 - 15:00 | Bishops Stortford
We were hoping to run this event last year, but it was cancelled because there were insufficient expressions of interest in a timely manner. A number of people subsequently said that they were planning to take part, so we are rescheduling the planned visit to organs in Stansted Mountfitchet, Birchanger and Bishops Stortford, to take place on Saturday 19th September. This will be run as a joint meeting, organised by the EOA, to which members of the Enfield & District Organists’ Association and Beds & Herts Organists’ Association will also be invited. Further details to follow. In the meantime, please save the date. If you require any further information about this event at this stage, or wish to express an interest in taking part, please contact Andrew Stevens on a.stevens50@btinternet.com.

EOA Extended visit to South Wales
2026-10-27 08:00 - 2026-10-29 17:00 | South Wales
EOA President Emma Gibbins is in the process of organising an Extended Visit to South Wales, which will take place during half-term week. We will be visiting and playing several interesting organs over three days, from Tuesday 27th October to Thursday 29th October. Given the distance from Essex, members might like to plan to arrive on the Monday and depart on the Friday. Some people will be taking their car, so for people going by train it should be possible to have a lift between venues. Further details to follow. In the meantime, please save the date. If you require any further information about this event at this stage, or wish to express an interest in taking part, please contact Emma Gibbins on emmagibbins1978@gmail.com.

Organ recital - Philip Prior
2026-11-13 12:00 - 14:00 | St John the Baptist Church, 55 Main Road, Danbury, Chelmsford CM3 4NG
