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Category: News
The Global Organ Conference 2026 The Global British Organ
Call for Papers The British Institute of Organ Studies will hold its 50th anniversary conference in Oxford from 9-11 April 2026. We invite proposals for papers and themed round-table discussions, as well as other types of presentation on any relevant topic including, but not limited to, the following: The conference will be based at Wadham…
St John's, Chichester A G.P. England organ reconstructed
St John’s Church, 12 St John’s Street, Chichester PO19 1UU Saturday 7th June: Opened in 1813, St John’s Chapel is a rare surviving example of a Georgian proprietary chapel retaining most of its original early nineteenth century features. Proprietary chapels were a solution to the problem of insufficient capacity within existing parish churches to meet…
Dutch Church, Austin Friars Day Conference & Annual General Meeting 2025
Saturday April 12th 2025 – 10.30 for 11.00 The morning featured talks entitled ‘Wills, Willis and St Monica’s Care Home, Westbury-on-Trym’ with William McVicker and Owen Woods charting the history and technical detail of what was the Wills family house organ. In addition Ds Bertjan van de Lagemaat, Minister of the Dutch Church, provided a…
Clare College Snetzler New to the HOSA YouTube channel
The BIOS Historic Organ Sound Archive (HOSA) continues to grow. The latest addition to the YouTube collection is the 1755 Snetzler organ now at Clare College in Cambridge and restored by the William Drake company. (NPOR A01068). Dr Anna Steppler plays music by Eliza Turner, Maurice Greene, Ignatius Sancho, Elisabetta de Gambarini and G F…
Richard Hird Richard Hird
Richard D. Hird MA MRTPI LTCL had a number of roles in the UK organ world and died a few days ago. He was active in several organisations as well as BIOS. For many years he was the BIOS Honorary Treasurer and also built and managed the website BIOS used until 2012. By profession he…
Plate at Upper Slaughter New listings of Historic Organs
The January meeting of the BIOS Council approved three new Historic Organ Listings. Upper Slaughter, St Peter, 1855 J Walker [D01288]: Grade II A surviving, characteristic example of an organ from 1855 by a prominent builder at a period of transition in British organ building. Harby, St Mary 1808 Elliot, 1874 Lloyd [K01581]: Grade II…
John Norman RIP John Norman
BIOS is very sorry to notify the death of John Norman, for many years a trustee and Council Member of BIOS, and for several years also its chairman and until quite recently, its webmaster. That he held Honorary Life Membership of BIOS is an indication of the huge amount we owe to him. All of…
Winchester College West RIP Dr Christopher Kent BEM and David Wickens
BIOS Council is sorry to hear of the deaths of two long-standing members, David Wickens and Dr Christopher Kent BEM. David was BIOS Archivist for many years and the publisher of important books on Samuel Green and the intricacies of pipe-scaling. Christopher was an Elgar scholar and founder of the Organ Historiography Course at the…
Holdich’s now-lost organ for ‘[St Oswald’s’] Malpas, Cheshire’, opened 21st November 1841 Holdich’s book of watercolours
BIOS has recently purchased a document for the British Organ Archive. It is an album of ephemera relating to the work and life of George Maydwell Holdich (1816-1896), including specifications, watercolours and letters, etc. The watercolours are finely executed, showing interesting detail. They cover the period 1838 to 1845. It is not clear exactly what…
Christ Church, Spitalfields Restoration Successes
Christ Church, Spitalfields, London Nicholas Hawksmoor’s monumental church houses Richard Bridge’s equally impressive organ of 1735. This famous instrument was the largest organ in England at the time of its construction. Neglected and out of use for many years, the organ has been stripped of Victorian accretions and restored to its original glory. The work…