Celebrating SS Wesley with a talk and concert at St Michael’s Church, Tenbury Wells – Saturday 15th August at 4.00pm.  

Ian Giddons

Our host for the event is honorary life member, Roger Judd who will talk about the life and compositions of this renowned composer and play the Choral Song, Larghetto in F♯ minor and the Introduction and Fugue in C♯ minor. The Amici Quorum choir, led by member James Wall, will sing the anthems Blessed be the God and Father, Ascribe unto the Lord, Thou wilt keep him and Wash me throughly, and some appropriate hymns as choral interludes. 

Refreshments will be provided after the concert. 

Members from the Gloucester Organists’  Association will be joining us, and your friends and the church congregation are also very welcome to attend.

Celebrating Maurice Duruflé, with a talk and recital in Worcester Cathedral – Tuesday 16th June at 6.30pm

Ian Giddons

William Peart, a former student member of WOA is delighted to be offering a talk and recital on the actual day of the 40th anniversary of Maurice Duruflé’s death. William is looking forward to returning to Worcester Cathedral, a place he has known and loved for so many years. 

Before he plays a selection of Duruflé works in a recital, he will speak about Duruflé’s life and contextualise his compositions, illustrating the talk with recordings of his playing, pictures, as well as transcripts of interviews with his former students. William really looks forward to seeing you all in June!     His website is at www.williampeart.com

William moved to Germany after graduating from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and now enjoys a successful career in choral and organ music in Berlin and Leipzig.

Programme

Fugue on the theme of the Carillon of the Hours of Soissons Cathedral, Op. 12.

Prelude, Adagio and Chorale Variations on the theme of “Veni Creator”, Op. 4.

Homage to Jean Gallon No. 27. 

Prelude & Fugue on the name Alain Op.7.

Sicilienne and Toccata from the Suite Op.5.

Members and friends are asked to arrive at the Cathedral after evening prayer at 5.30pm as the Cathedral will be closed to the public at 6pm. Please enter by the North Porch.

Playing visits to Belmont & Dore Abbeys and St Michael & All Angels, Moccas – Saturday 9th May from 10.45am

Ian Giddons

By kind permission of the Abbot and Parish Priest, we will be hosted by our new member, Jonathon Nicholls, the Director of Music at Belmont Abbey. There is plenty of parking on site at HR2 9NZ.

Belmont Abbey

We then have lunch booked for 12.30pm in the Temple Bar Inn at Ewyas Harold HR2 0EU near Pontrilas.  There is plenty of street parking, or you can use the Church  Hall car park just up School Road and at the corner with Dark Lane.

Our final visit is at 3.00pm to St Michael & All Angels Church, Moccas HR2 9LH, a half hour drive from Dore Abbey through some glorious countryside. It is located near the grounds of Moccas Court, but access is up the road from the memorial cross on the B 4352 and then fork left to the church and car park.

After lunch it is just a five-minute drive to Dore Abbey HR2 0AA.  Park in the lane and walk through the south lychgate and take the path down to the Abbey or park outside the village hall and it’s a five- minute walk through Tan House farmyard (public right of way) and the west lychgate to the Abbey.

Members – please see the April newsletter for more information about the churches and organs and be sure to contact James Coupe with your menu choice if you are joining for lunch.

WOA becomes WMFO

Ian Giddons

Founded as Worcestershire Organists Association in 1964, but with long-standing members also from Herefordshire and Shropshire, we formally expanded during the autumn of 2025 following the dissolution of Herefordshire Organists Society, and with the full support of IAO, to cover the three counties of West Mercia – Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire.

Alongside this the change of name to “Friends of” signified that the group was also open to and of wider interest to those members of the public interested in organs and organ music, a change supported strongly by IAO and in line with the thinking of other similar international groups such as Les Amis de l’Orgue in France. So WOA has become WMFO

We have welcomed many members of the former HOS who have already joined us, and we look forward to being joined by others over the coming months. We plan to use the planned Midlands IAO event in Shrewsbury on 10 October 2026 as an opportunity to introduce WMFO to organists and organ-lovers in Shropshire and invite new members.