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

• Organbuilding 2005 published
  The IBO have recently published Organbuilding 2005, their annual journal covering some of the significant work undertaken by British organbuilders in the preceding year. As well as an overview of British organbuilding during 2004, there are detailed articles on the Mander organ of Sydney Grammar School, William Drake's organ at St Paul's, Deptford, Goetze and Gwynn's restoration at Santiago de Compostela, Nicholson's restoration at Malvern Priory, Robin Jennings' new organ at St Mary's, Streatley (which features on the cover, right) the new Walker in St Mark's Episcopal, Grand Rapids, Kenneth Tickell's recent work on the much-altered Gray and Davison organ of Sherborne Abbey, a Renn restored at Great Budworth and the new organ for St Alban's, Copenhagen. Duncan Mathews, Works Manager of Harrison & Harrison offers some insights into restoring key actions, and there is the usual complete and updated listing of Accredited Business Members.

  Organbuilding has quickly become essential reading for anyone interested in British organbuilding: if you don't own this year's copy already, you can order a copy online from the here on the IBO website.
  
  

• RCO Curzon Street move cancelled
  Following increasing concerns over the long-term costs of occupying the proposed new headquarters at Curzon Street Station, Birmingham, the RCO has recently decided to withdraw from the entire project. The RCO will remain in its current premises in Birmingham for the foreseeable future and continue to explore links with other projects and organisations including BIOS and the British Organ Archive. The controversial Goll organ will now not be built. More news on this will presumably be added to the RCO website in due course.
  
  
• Noel Mander RIP
  Noel Mander, founder of Mander Organs, passed away on the 18th of September at the age of 93. Noel founded Manders in 1936 after training with Ivor Davis, an ex-HN&B man. After wartime service in North Africa and Italy, during which time he worked on several instruments while off duty, he built up his firm restoring bomb damaged instruments in London. Over the following decades, he began to build new instruments and ultimately began the exporting of Mander organs which continues today. Highlights of his long and varied career included the lengthy rebuilding of the organ in St Paul's Cathedral, London, and the remarkably sympathetic restoration of Adlington Hall's 17th century instrument. Despite retiring in 1983, he kept a keen interest in goings on at Manders and elsewhere.
  
  
• New Harrison for Winchester College
  Winchester College Chantry now has a small two-manual Harrison & Harrison organ thanks to the generosity of an anonymous former pupil. The new instrument is a development of their successful small house organ design, here with the addition of a partially independent 16 foot pedal stop. The organ is housed in an elegant oak case crowned with gothic tracery incoporating the college's arms. The action is mechanical throughout, and the manuals have 58 notes, with 30 pedal notes.

  Specification: Winchester College Chantry
  Manual I		Manual II
  Stopped Diapason Principal	8ft 4ft	Gedackt Flute Fifteenth	8ft 4ft 2ft
  Pedal		Couplers
  Subbass (18 notes from Manual I)	16ft	I to Pedal II to Pedal Manual coupler

• Children's Organ Prom at Hereford with Miranda Richardson
  Miranda Richardson, soon to add to her many acting credits with a performance as Rita Skeeter in the new Harry Potter film (right), is visiting Hereford Cathedral on Saturday 8 October at 2.30 pm to act as narrator in a performance of Peter and the Wolf at the Children's Organ Prom. She will join assistant organist Peter Dyke in an arrangement of Prokofiev's entertaining work for organ.

  The hour-long presentation will also include cathedral organist Geraint Bowen explaining how such a vast and complicated instrument works with the help of lengths of hosepipe, a funnel and of course Peter Dyke. This is an ideal way of introducing children to the diversity of sound the organ can produce, from squeaks to rumbles and everything in between. Over a thousand children will have enjoyed a similar experience over ther previous week, and entry is free for under 16s and full time students. Adult tickets are only 2 on the door or in advance from Hereford Cathedral Perpetual Trust (01432 374261).
  
  

• The First International Claviorgan Festival in Italy
  The Claviorgan is a combination of a small organ with a harpsichord developed in the 16th century. Handel and Haydn were among the composers who wrote music for it, and from the 16th to 20th of November the first festival dedicated to its study will be held in the Umbrian town of Foligno. Performers include Jean Guillou, Claudio Brizi, Guy Bovet and Gustav Leonhardt. More details can be found on the Festival website.
  
  
• New Casavant website
  A brief final note of interest - Canadian organbuilders Casavant Frres have launched a new website here.