This is an archive of news articles from July 2005. Current news articles can be found here and an archive index can be found here. Information in this archive may no longer be valid.

• Two new organs for Worcester Cathedral
  Worcester Cathedral is finally to leave behind Hope-Jones' solution of a single organ for choir and nave by commissioning two new organs to replace the current much-rebuilt and increasingly unreliable instrument. Final details are still being worked on, but a contract has been agreed with Kenneth Tickell to provide a new four manual Quire instrument in time for the 2008 Three Choirs Festival. The instrument will be in and behind two new cases in the triforia, and will be voiced in an English style. Meanwhile discussions are underway with another English firm with a view to providing a Nave instrument in a more French style of voicing, probably involving some stops being placed in the existing Hill transept case. Two earlier options for the Quire organ case design are shown here.
  
  
• Other British organbuilding news
  Matthew Copley's case design for St Mary's RC Cathedral in Edinburgh has changed considerably since that illustrated in our 2003 news archive, largely to provide more seating at the West end of the Nave. The organ as built will still have the first new 32' front in Britain for many generations. Meanwhile organbuilders Goetze and Gwynn, who specialise in restorations and organs based on early English examples, are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the building of their first organ. More details of their unique celebration here. Plans have been announced for the restoration of St Matthew's Northampton's 1895 four manual Walker by Harrison and Harrison in collaboration with Kenneth Tickell. This will include a new console and 32' reed. More details on forthcoming H&H projects here.
  
  
• New Pipe Organ Wiki
  For those who aren't familiar with Wikipedia and the Wiki concept, it is a community driven and edited collection of knowledge about just about anything and everything. Ed Stauff is behind the newly launched pipe organ wiki, but ultimately it is what the online organ community makes it. Anyone can create or edit a page, and while such a system is open to abuse, wikis usually soon develop into useful resources as vandalism and inaccuracies can easily be edited out. Take a look and contribute at pipeorgans.wikicities.com.
  
  
• New Mander inaugurated in Massachusetts
  The new Mander organ of the West Parish Meeting House, West Barnstable mentioned in March's web news was inagurated to criticial acclaim by Kent Tritle on the 24th of June. John Mander selected the recital programme, and you can read more about the organ here.
  
  
• Delays for RCO Birmingham move
  Due to a 10% shortfall in fundraising towards the 8.23 million target, the work on renovating the old Curzon Street station due to form the RCO's new office has been delayed until all funds have been raised. This will delay the RCO's move to Birmingham, but will not affect the timetable of work on developing and cataloguing the British Organ Library.
  
  
• News from Europe
  St Lorenz's Nrnberg is nearing the completion of an ambitious organ project with the recent dedication of its third organ, a Klais in a swallow's nest position above the nave. More details in German here.
  
  
• News from the USA
  Noack have restored one of the earliest surviving American synagogue organs in the Isaac M. Wise Temple, Cincinnati. More details and a picture here. Meanwhile in New York assembly of the new Casavant in the Brick Church is nearing completion. Recent photographs of progress have been posted on their website here. Voicing is scheduled to begin later this month.
  
  
• Oundle Festival
  As well as the organ concerts in our concert listings for July, the Oundle International Festival (15th to 24th July) has a number of non-organ concerts, from Bjorn Again to the Vertavo String Quartet, from Black Umfolosi to Katerina Chrobokova. For a full listing, see the Oundle Festival Website or contact the Box Office on 01832 272026.