The International Organ Festival (IOF) is a biennial music festival and organ competition held in

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

since 1963. Originally held annually, it was changed to every two years in 1965 due to the complexity of organising the increasingly ambitious programme. The festival is run mainly by volunteers.

Background

The festival was conceived by the organist and choirmaster of St Albans Cathedral,

Peter Hurford Peter John Hurford OBE (22 November 1930 – 3 March 2019) was a British organist and composer. Life Hurford was born in Minehead, Somerset, to Gladys Hurford (née James) and Hubert Hurford, a solicitor. He was educated at Blundell's School ...

, to celebrate the building of a new organ at the cathedral by

Harrison & Harrison Harrison & Harrison Ltd is a British company that makes and restores pipe organs, based in Durham and established in Rochdale in 1861. It is well known for its work on instruments such as King's College, Cambridge, Westminster Abbey, and the R ...

. The main competitions are still conducted on this instrument, its eclectic style and modern electropneumatic action now complemented by another self-contained

tracker action Tracker action is a term used in reference to pipe organs and steam calliopes to indicate a mechanical linkage between keys or pedals pressed by the organist and the valve that allows air to flow into pipe(s) of the corresponding note. This is ...

instrument which the International Organ Festival Society, the charity which runs the Festival, has had built for its own use and sited at St Saviour's Church, St Albans. This was built by Peter Collins in the style of, and in homage to, the early 18th century German organ builder

Andreas Silbermann Andreas Silbermann (16 May 1678 – 16 March 1734) was a German organ builder, who was involved in the construction of 35 organs, mostly in Alsace. Andreas also established the Silbermann family tradition of organ building, training his brother Go ...

. There is a new (2005) organ in St Peter's Church, St Albans by

Mander Organs Mander Organs Limited formerly N.P Mander Limited was an English pipe organ maker and refurbisher based in London. Although well known for many years in the organ building industry, they achieved wider notability in 2004 with the refurbishment ...

, which has played a role in the festival and competitions since 2007. Recent competitions have also visited London, with competition rounds regularly held at

Christ Church Spitalfields Christ Church Spitalfields is an Anglican church built between 1714 and 1729 to a design by Nicholas Hawksmoor. On Commercial Street in the East End and in today's Central London it is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, on its western bord ...

and, in 2017, a concerto final at

St John's Smith Square St John's Smith Square is a redundant church in the centre of Smith Square, Westminster, London. Sold to a charitable trust as a ruin following firebombing in the Second World War, it was restored as a concert hall. This Grade I listed churc ...

. There are two main competitions, the interpretation competition and the improvisation competition (formerly known as the Tournemire Prize). Judges have included

Piet Kee Pieter William Kee (30 August 1927 – 25 May 2018) was a Dutch organist and composer. Biography Born in Zaandam, Netherlands, Kee studied organ, piano and composition at the Amsterdam Conservatory, obtaining the Prix d'Excellence, and won first ...

, Marie-Claire Alain,

Anton Heiller Anton Heiller (15 September 1923 – 25 March 1979) was an Austrian organist, harpsichordist, composer and conductor. Biography Born in Vienna, he was first trained in church music by Wilhelm Mück, organist of Vienna's Stephansdom (St. Stephen' ...

Ralph Downes Ralph William Downes CBE KSG (16 August 1904 – 24 December 1993) was an English organist, organ designer, teacher and music director and was Professor of Organ in the Royal College of Music. Biography Downes was born in Derby and studied ...

Harry Croft-Jackson Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

, Thomas Trotter,

Ton Koopman Antonius Gerhardus Michael Koopman (; born 2 October 1944), known professionally as Ton Koopman, is a Dutch conductor, organist, harpsichordist, and musicologist, primarily known for being the founder and director of the Amsterdam Baroque Orches ...

, Naji Hakim, Daniel Roth and David Sanger. The competition is considered prestigious, as may be judged by the list of past winners (starting with Susan Landale in 1963 and Gillian Weir in 1964), and judges have occasionally decided not to award first prize. The Artistic Director and Executive Director since 2007 is David Titterington, professor of organ at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

. The 2023 festival and competitions, marking the festival's 60th anniversary, will take place from 3 to 15 July.

The Festival

The festival's associated concert series includes large orchestral and choral works, chamber music and solo performances, as well as evening jazz. The Three Choirs concert is an audience favourite, in which over the years the choristers of St Albans Cathedral have been joined by many of England's most celebrated cathedral choirs (for instance, in 2013

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Salisbury and is the seat of the Bishop of Salisbury. The buildi ...

& York Minster, in 2015 Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. The site on which the cathedral stands in the City of ...

, and in 2017

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

Temple Church The Temple Church is a Royal peculiar church in the City of London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. It was consecrated on 10 February 1185 by Patriarch Heraclius of J ...

). Many of the great orchestras (the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and others) have played in the Festival, and there have been recitals and concerts from performers such as

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...

, Sarah Walker,

Musica Antiqua Köln Musica Antiqua Köln was an early music group that was founded in 1973 by Reinhard Goebel and fellow students from the Conservatory of Music in Cologne. Musica Antiqua Köln devoted itself largely to the performance of the music of the 17th and 18th ...

, Evelyn Glennie,

Emma Kirkby Dame Carolyn Emma Kirkby, (; born 26 February 1949) is an English soprano and early music specialist. She has sung on over 100 recordings. Education and early career Kirkby was educated at Hanford School, Sherborne School for Girls in Dors ...

, James Bowman and

Julian Perkins Julian Perkins is a British conductor and keyboard player ( harpsichord, fortepiano and clavichord). Shortlisted for the Gramophone Award in 2021, he is Artistic Director of the Portland Baroque Orchestra in the USA. He lives in London, Englan ...

. Concerts have sometimes been broadcast on

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

. Many concerts take place in the Cathedral, but the Festival takes place all over St Albans with other regular venues including St Peter's Church and St Saviour's Church. The 2021 Festival was one of the first events to take place after Covid-19 restrictions were partially relaxed in the UK. Performers included Nicola Benedetti with

Aurora Orchestra Aurora Orchestra is a British chamber orchestra , co-founded in 2004 by conductors Nicholas Collon and Robin Ticciati. The orchestra is based in London, where it is Resident Orchestra at Southbank Centre and Resident Ensemble at Kings Place. The ...

Tenebrae Tenebrae (—Latin for "darkness") is a religious service of Western Christianity held during the three days preceding Easter Day, and characterized by gradual extinguishing of candles, and by a "strepitus" or "loud noise" taking place in total ...

Jess Gillam Jess Gillam (born 24 May 1998) is a British saxophonist and BBC radio broadcaster from Ulverston, Cumbria. Gillam hosts ''This Classical Life'' on BBC Radio 3. Education Gillam attended the Junior Royal Northern College of Music while at se ...

, Steven Osborne and

Roderick Williams Roderick Gregory Coleman Williams OBE (born 1965) is a British baritone and composer. Biography Williams was born in North London to a Welsh father and a Jamaican mother. He attended Christ Church Cathedral School in Oxford and Haberdashers' ...

The Fringe

The IOF Fringe presents community-focused performances in a wide range of formal and unconventional venues. Events were mostly outdoors in historic parts of the City such as in front of the

Clock Tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...

and in the Tudor streets of St Michael's or in the

Alban Arena Alban Arena (formerly known as St Albans City Hall or Civic Hall) is a theatre and music venue located in St Albans, England. The venue opened in 1968 with a performance by blues singer John Mayall, and has staged concerts by bands such as Dire ...

. Artists taking part included

Seth Lakeman Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. Ac ...

The Swanvesta Social Club Swanvesta Social Club were founded in St Albans, and are a British Cuban-influenced group. Career According to the St Albans Review newspaper the group models itself on the Buena Vista Social Club. They are most noted for their lively outdoor ...

and

Isla St Clair Isla St Clair (born 2 May 1952 as Isabella Margaret Dyce) is a Scotland, Scottish singer. Life Isla St Clair was born in Grangemouth, central Scotland, in 1952; her mother was Zetta Sinclair. Her family came from northeast Scotland and it was h ...

. Previously, cabaret events and other entertainment had been run as part of the festival, including performances from Richard Stilgoe, Jake Thackray, Instant Sunshine and others.

Past winners

The following individuals have won prizes at the festival.

Interpretation competition

*1963

Susan Landale Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian '' sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose" and a flower in general), ...

, UK *1964 Gillian Weir, UK *1965 Hans Joachim Bartsch, Germany *1967 Danièle Gullo, France *1969 David Sanger, UK *1971 Larry Cortner, USA *1973 Jan Overduin, The Netherlands / Walter Glyn Jenkins, UK *1975 Lynne Davis, USA *1977 Peggy Haas, USA /

Marcus Huxley Marcus Huxley (born 11 December 1949) is an English cathedral organist, who served in St. Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham between 1986 and 2017. Background Marcus Richard Huxley was born in Chelmsford, Essex, England. He was educated at Pembrok ...

, UK ''(joint second)'' *1979 Thomas Trotter, UK *1981 David Rowland, UK ''(second prize)'' *1983

Kevin Bowyer Kevin John Bowyer (; born 9 January 1961) is an English organist, known for his prolific recording and recital career and his performances of modern and extremely difficult compositions. Biography Bowyer was born on 9 January 1961 in Southend-o ...

, UK *1985 Kimberly Marshall, USA *1985 Diane Meredith Belcher, USA "(second prize)" *1987 Bas de Vroome, The Netherlands ''(second prize)'' *1989

Mikael Wahlin Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

, Sweden *1991 Joseph Adam, USA *1993 Gabriel Marghieri, France *1995 Mattias Wager, Sweden *1997 David Goode, UK ''(second prize)'' *1999 Pier-Damiano Peretti, Italy *2001 Johannes Unger, Germany *2003

Herman Jordaan Herman may refer to: People * Herman (name), list of people with this name * Saint Herman (disambiguation) * Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman Places in the United States * Herman, Arkansas * Herman, Michigan * Herman, Minn ...

, South Africa *2005 Andrew Dewar, UK *2007 Ulrich Walther, Germany *2009 Konstantin Volostnov, Russia *2011 David Baskeyfield, UK *2013 Simon Thomas Jacobs, UK *2015 Johannes Zeinler, Austria *2017 Thomas Gaynor, New Zealand *2019 Kumi Choi, South Korea *2021 Competition was held virtually due to Covid-19, with no first prize

Improvisation competition

*1963

Guy Bovet Guy Bovet (born 22 May 1942 in Thun) is a Swiss organist and composer. Career Bovet studied under Marie Dufour in Lausanne, Pierre Segond in Geneva and Marie-Claire Alain in Paris. From 1979 to 1999 he taught Spanish organ music at the Univer ...

, Switzerland *1964

André Isoir André Jean-Marie Isoir (20 July 1935 – 20 July 2016) was a French organist and pedagogue. Biography André Isoir was born in 1935 in Saint-Dizier in Grand Est, France. Isoir studied with Édouard Souberbielle (organ) and Germaine Mounier (p ...

, France *1971

Hans Eugen Frischknecht Hans Eugen Frischknecht (born 8 May 1939) is a Swiss composer, organist, choral conductor and harpsichordist. Life Born in St. Gallen, Frischknecht graduated from the Swiss Music Pedagogic Association after his school-leaving exams as a piano ...

, Switzerland *1973 Kees van Ersel, The Netherlands *1975 Nathan Ensign, USA *1977

Jos van der Kooy Jos is a city in the north central region of Nigeria. The city has a population of about 900,000 residents based on the 2006 census. Popularly called "J-Town", it is the administrative capital and largest city of Plateau State. During British ...

, The Netherlands *1979

Christoph Tietze Christoph is a male given name and surname. It is a German variant of Christopher. Notable people with the given name Christoph * Christoph Bach (1613–1661), German musician * Christoph Büchel (born 1966), Swiss artist * Christoph Dientzenho ...

, USA *1983 Naji Hakim, France *1985 Marie-Bernadette Dufourcet-Hakim, France *1987 David Drury, Australia *1991 Christoph Kuhlmann, Germany *1993 David Briggs, UK *1997 Martin Baker, UK *2001 Hayo Boerema, The Netherlands / Thomas Lennartz, Germany ''(joint second)'' *2003 Robert Houssart, The Netherlands *2005 Gerben Mourik, The Netherlands *2007 not awarded *2009 Jean-Baptiste Dupont, France *2011 Paul Goussot, France *2013 Martin Sturm, Germany *2015 David Cassan, France *2017 not awarded *2019 Gabriele Agrimonti, Italy *2021 No improvisation competition was held

References

External links

St Albans International Organ Festival website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Albans International Organ Festival Music festivals established in 1963 Classical music festivals in England Pipe organ festivals Music competitions in the United Kingdom International Organ Festival Music festivals in Hertfordshire