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.

Celebrating a beloved choral figure

Choir & Organ

ROYAL ALBERT HALL LAUNCHES INAUGURAL ORGAN SCHOLARSHIP

GERAINT BOWEN TO RETIRE FROM HEREFORD THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL IN 2026

British Institute of Organ Studies announces 2026 conference

Maximilian Haller wins Northern Ireland International Organ Competition

IN BRIEF

NEW ORGAN FOR GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL TO BE UNVEILED IN 2026

PAST LIVES

Andrew Nethsingha announced as RCO president-elect

FINGERS, FEET AND IMAGINATION: LEARNING THE ORGAN FROM SCRATCH

PREMIERE SPOTLIGHT

RECITAL ROOM

Light in the darkness: music’s most profound and sacred duty • As we approach the reflective season of Advent, Patrick Hawes looks at how sound itself can rekindle the light within the human soul

Imogen Holst • Leah Broad explores the legacy of Imogen Holst and how her practical approach to composition shaped 20th-century British choral music

Life in harmony • On the eve of his 80th birthday, John Rutter tells Alexandra Coghlan about six decades of song – from his trailblazing carols and enduring Clare College legacy to swans in the garden, orchestral rediscoveries, and the happy accidents that shaped a lifetime in music

Organ interpretation in repertoire of the 19th century • Considering approaches to Romantic organ music, legato, tempo and rubato all come under the spotlight

David Hill In conversation with … Marcus Creed • Conductor and director of the Danish Radio Vocal Ensemble

Voyage of discovery • A fascination with American culture and organ music leads Andrew Forbes across the States to better understand their organ-building aesthetic.

Stage and stall • Long before today’s choristers filled cathedrals and schools with Advent carols, their Elizabethan predecessors were equally at home on the stage as in the stalls. Matthew Blaiden looks back at the role of chorister actors in the revels season

Choral Communities • After 90 years, Northampton Bach Choir looks ahead to the future of choral singing. Clare Stevens traces the growth of the NBC, discovering how it was – and continues to be – shaped by the changing world around us

Heaven touches earth • As the Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge releases a luminous new Christmas recording, director of music Christopher Gray speaks to Hattie Butterworth about the choir’s distinctive sound, the magic of Christmas and authenticity at the heart of its music

Rockey Sun Keting Blood Moon • A light and airy choral texture is achieved through scat syllables in a new choral piece from Rockey Sun Keting. She talks to Matthew Power

Inner light • Jessica Duchen and Roxanna Panufnik aim to bridge the gap between faiths this festive season. George Hall speaks to the librettist and composer about their alternative work for chorus and orchestra, celebrating the universal optimism of light in the darkest days.

RECORDINGS Q&A • Composer Clive Osgood talks to Jonathan Whiting about influences from Vivaldi to film scores, writing for voices first, and the craft behind singable tunes. In his Christmas album – recorded by Polyphony and Britten Sinfonia under Stephen Layton – he reflects on Latin vs English text, carol tradition, and shaping music for real performers

Tonal fusion • The Swiss firm Metzler Orgelbau last brought an organ to the UK...