Chapel Music Festival,
R ADLEY COLLEGE ORGAN PROJECT
March 2022 All events are in the Radley College Chapel unless otherwise stated.
Anna Lapwood Saturday 5 March – 10:30am – 4pm Organist, conductor and broadcaster, Anna Lapwood joins the Radley College organ team for a day of workshops and performances for the whole family. Email musicpartnerships@radley. org.uk for more details.
Radley College’s new organ is a milestone in the history of the school, and reflects the way Chapel lies at the heart of the community. With the expansion of the school, the College was determined to continue bringing all of the boys together every day for worship, and a major part of this is communal singing of a variety of hymns from different traditions, some unique to Radley.
Chapel Dedication Service Sunday 6 March – 10:30am A special service marking the completion of the Chapel project and the installation of the new Nicholson organ.
A big part of this is the organ; a strong organ accompaniment gives the boys the confidence to sing out and enjoy themselves, and every boy in the school will benefit from the new instrument. But it has other important roles to play, too: accompanying the choir (over 100 boys sing in the choir, as well as our young treble choristers from local schools), and teaching our organ pupils as they prepare for organ scholarships or just enjoy themselves playing the King of Instruments.
Local Schools Chapel Event: Big Sing Thursday 10 March – 10:30am
everyone in Chapel to hear it to best advantage, and it has given Nicholson & Co the space to create a landmark new instrument which will be appreciated by Radleians for many years to come.
The founder of Radley College, William Sewell, knew that a good organ would be key to the success of Chapel, and the College’s first organ in 1848 was internationally famous – it was exported back to Dublin for the Great Industrial Exhibition of 1853 before being returned to Chapel with a free additional 32’ stop as a gesture of thanks from the organ builder, Telford of Dublin. Since then the organ went through several rebuilds, with very little of the original surviving (although one pedal stop from 1848 has made it into the new instrument).
The new organ has three manuals and pedals, with 48 speaking stops and 2651 pipes. It is a blend of traditional voicing and mechanisms – all but the pedal department will have mechanical action, which is preferred both for reliability and for the ‘feel’ and connection the player has with the instrument – and modern electronic aids, including an enhanced system of preset piston memories which will support plenty of players, boys and dons. The console also incorporates controls for the chapel audio and video systems, and even Bluetooth page turning buttons for performers playing from a tablet computer.
As the school became larger from the 1920s onwards, the need for more space in chapel saw the organ relegated to chambers on the sides of the building. This makes it hard for the sound of the organ to be heard to full effect.The expansion of Chapel in 2020-21 has meant that we can put the organ back for the first time since 1937 in the best position possible – the centre of the gallery. This is where it needs to be to enable
Hundreds of young singers join together for an unforgettable massed performance, accompanied by the new Chapel organ.
Chamber Music Concert Thursday 10 March – 8pm Radley College musicians perform music for woodwind, string and brass ensemble.
Thomas Trotter Opening Recital Saturday 12 March – 7pm Join one of the world’s greatest organists for a special recital marking the opening of the new Chapel organ, following a day of masterclasses with young organists.
Gala Concert Sunday 13 March – 6pm OCTOBER 2017 Submission of organ design by Nicholson & Co
APRIL 2019 Signing of contract for the new organ
FEBRUARY 2020 Work starts in Nicholson & Co’s workshop in Malvern
JULY 2021 Installation of the organ begins in Chapel
SEPTEMBER 2021 Final voicing and tonal finishing
NOVEMBER 2021 Organ in use for the first time
MARCH 2022 Dedication of the organ and opening recital
A celebration of the organ in all its guises, with music for orchestra, brass, choir and more.
Organ Competition Tuesday 26 April – 8pm Hear Radley’s pupil organists in action at the biennial organ competition.