Young Organists’ Competition Results

First some “Notices” – St Michael’s has twitter! Find us @StMikes_Exeter https://twitter.com/StMikes_Exeter . Also with little activity now in the Peregrine nest box, the live streaming has been switched off; it will resume with the next breeding season at the end of February 2015. The photo gallery is still there, and we plan to make videos from the 2014 season available on YouTube when time allows.

The main result of the YOC on Monday 14th July was a feast of music making on our new pipe organ from the 9 talented competitors for some 70 people gathered in St Michael’s. Thank you all.

Young Organists

In the Open category, Eleanor Little, Joseph Gooddy, Josh Hughes, Katherine Whitcher, Laurie Kirkcaldy and Nick Tall, each played 10 minute programmes. They showed the full range of dynamics and tonal colours our new instrument can produce, both in what I as an amateur would term the classical German repertoire and a variety of more recent pieces, and each organist produced many moments of musical delight for us.

I particularly enjoyed the works by Rinck, Seeger, S S Wesley, Franck, Mathias and Boellmann. The judges were looking for choice of programme, as well as technique and musicality.

It was good to welcome the Chairman of Budleigh Music Festival, one of the sponsors of the YOC along with Exeter School and Exeter Festival Chorus. In a short interval, members of St Michael’s church choir sang familiar motets by Tallis, Pitoni and Parsons. New choir members are always welcome.

In the Advanced category, Jack Oades, Ralf Ayling-Millar and Rory Moules, each played a substantial Bach work and contrasting pieces by Langlais & Fletcher, Jeanne Demessieux and Edward Elgar respectively. All gave the organ a thorough work-out and the judges a very difficult task.

Alex and the Judges

While we enjoyed refreshments (thanks Sophie and team), our guest judges, Andrew Daldorph, Simon Honeyball and Jonathan Watts, deliberated at length. They rightly commended all the competitors, reminded us that each had had only one hour’s practice on this particular instrument, and highlighted several excellent individual performances.

Young Organists & Judges

In the Open category they declared Eleanor Little as winner, with Nick Tall as runner-up, while in the Advanced category they judged Ralf Ayling-Millar as winner, but could not split Jack Oades and Rory Moules.

Young Organists and Judges

Congratulations to these, and many thanks to all the competitors, their parents and supporters for travelling to St Michael’s, to the judges for their work and feedback, and especially to Alex West, our assistant conductor and organist, for all his hard work in setting up the event and making it so successful.

On the evidence of Monday evening, the future of organ playing, and hopefully its place in the musical life of our churches, is in good hands.

Services & Music List, July-August 2014

Please Note – Two Services originally listed for early August have been cancelled/postponed to give priority to the Requiem in memory of Fr John Hughes on Wednesday 6th August.

St Michael’s is a community of diverse Christians with with a friendly, inclusive fellowship. While our worship is at the Catholic end of the Anglican spectrum, our members and visitors span a surprising range of ages and beliefs and come from both Exeter and much farther afield. All are welcome.

A reminder that our regular services at St Michael’s, Mount Dinham, Exeter, EX4 4EB, are:-
Sunday 10.45 am • Solemn Mass; Sung with Plainsong Propers, a wide repertoire of Settings for Kyrie, Sanctus/Benedictus, Angus Dei, and Motet; Congregational Hymns, Gloria, Creed and Lord’s Prayer (Shaw/Merbecke).
Sunday 6.00 pm • Choral Evensong & Benediction (First Sunday of each month)
Tuesday 6.00 pm • Plainsong Vespers & Meditation (not August)
Tuesday 7.00 pm • Choir Practice
Wednesday 9.30 am • Morning Prayer
Wednesday 10.00 am • Said Low Mass
Thursday 6.00 pm • Plainsong Vespers & Meditation (not August)

Chandel window – 3 angels

As Prof Oliver Nicholson comments,“Worship at St Michael’s follows formal patterns; this formality frees the private prayer of individuals so that it may be offered in a communal context.
It helps to form intimate habits of devotion – and much of life is, after all, lived by habit.
It connects us to the worship of past generations of Christians, so freeing us from the illusion that Christianity was invented yesterday – by us. And we enjoy it!”

Music List for Choral Services. (NEH = New English Hymnal numbers)

The Choir’s repertoire spans six centuries and more; its music characterised by the use of Plainsong, English and European Renaissance polyphony and music of the Anglican choral revival from the past 150 years.

Sunday 6th July, Trinity III, 10.45am Mass. NEH:63:271:376
Setting: Mass in F, Darke. Motet: O for a closer walk with God, Stanford.

Sunday 6th July, 6pm Evensong and Benediction. Responses: Byrd, Office Hymn: 242,
Canticles: Dyson in F, Anthem: How beauteous are their feet, Stanford.
Tantum Ergo & O Salutaris Hostia: Plainsong.

Sunday 13th July, Trinity IV, 10.45am Mass. NEH:415:495:486
Setting: Bairstow in E flat. Motet: If ye love me, Tallis.

Monday 14th July, Young Organists’ Competition, 7.30-9.45pm. Our 9 competitors play approx 12 minute programmes on our new pipe organ to 3 distinguished judges. Prizes and refreshments around 9.20pm.

Sunday 20th July, Trinity V, 10.45am Mass. NEH:379:440:369
Setting: Leighton in D. Motet: Verily, verily I say unto you, Tallis.

Sunday 27th July, Trinity VI, 10.45am Mass. NEH:339:413:367
Setting: Mass for 4 voices, Byrd. Motet: God is a spirit, Sterndale Bennett.

Sanctuary Window – Eucharist and Passion

Sunday 3rd August, Trinity VII, 10.45am Mass. NEH:436:295:368
Setting: Anglican Folk Mass, Shaw. Motet: O taste and see, Vaughan-Williams.

Cancelled; Sunday 3rd August. Owing to Holidays and extra services, there will be NO 6pm Evensong and Benediction on this occasion.

Postponed Monday 4th August Owing to the Requiem Mass on Wednesday, the service to commemorate the beginning of the First World War has been postponed.

Wednesday 6th August, 7.30pm, Requiem Mass in memory of Fr John Hughes. Music will include the Requiem by Gabriel Fauré and the Preacher will be Fr John Henton.

Sunday 10th August, Trinity VIII, 10.45am Mass. NEH:338:353:464
Setting: Mass in the Dorian mode, Tallis. Motet: How beauteous are their feet, Stanford.

Madonna and Child

Friday 15th August, Feast of the Assumption, 7:30pm Mass. NEH:188ii:161t385:185
Setting: Missa “Dixit Maria”, Hassler. Motet: Ave Maria, Arcadelt.

Sunday 17th August, Trinity IX, 10.45am Mass. NEH:332:324:480
Setting: Mass in F, Sumsion. Motet: O Lord, increase our faith, Loosemore.

In planning for Sunday 17th August, ?6pm/6.30pm Evensong at St Martin’s in the Cathedral Close, EX1 1EZ.

Sunday 24th August, St Bartholomew the Apostle, 10.45am Mass. NEH:333:216t433:179t357
Setting: Sarum Mass, Plainsong. Motet: Give us the wings of faith, Bullock.

Sunday 31st August, Trinity XI, 10.45am Mass. NEH:452:408:449
Setting: Mass in A minor, Casciolini. Motet: Christus factus est, Bruckner.

Young Organists’ Competition Update

With just a fortnight till the Competition. thanks to organiser Alex West for this update.

As a final flourish of our Music & Heritage Festival, celebrating 150 years of the legacy of Exeter philanthropist John Dinham, we are holding a competition for young organists at St Michael’s at 7.30pm on Monday 14^th July, first publicised back in March. We are delighted to announce that nine people have entered the competition.

Advanced category:-  Ralf Ayling-Millar, 19, Devon;  Rory Moules, 18, Somerset;  Jack Oades, 19, Devon.

Open category:-  Joseph Gooddy, 17, Devon;  Josh Hughes, 15, Cornwall;  Laurie Kirkcaldy, 18, Devon;  Eleanor Little, 16, Somerset;  Nick Tall, 16, Devon;  Katherine Whitcher, 11, Somerset.

The contestants will each play for 15 minutes (Advanced) or 10 minutes (Open) in an open, public event that will last around two hours. The judges of the competition are:-

Andrew Daldorph FRCO, director of East Devon Choral Society and Exeter Chamber Choir

Neil Page ARCM, LRAM, Director of Music at St Michael’s, and St Boniface, Sarasota, Florida, USA

Jonathan Watts, artistic director of Devon Baroque, Music Director of Devon Opera and Dartington Community Choir

We thank the judges and the contestants for taking part in this event, which promises to offer a rich variety of music for the organ, and which it is hoped will prove an exciting and memorable experience for participants and audience alike.

The winners of the respective categories will each be offered a date in the St Michael’s Recital Series as part of their prize. It is intended that the new HLF funded St Michael’s instrument (click that link for specification and brief history) should be used for the benefit of all, but especially by young musicians and for the advancement of the organ in musical education.

We would also like to take the opportunity to thank again our sponsors, without whom this event would not be possible:

Exeter Festival Chorus

 

“EFC has a reputation as one of the liveliest and most adventurous choirs in the South West. Our programmes aim to offer a stimulating mix of works from the established choral repertoire together with music from the less well-known and the contemporary choral scene. Our repertoire ranges from renaissance to present-day choral music and covers a variety of genres.”  www.exeterfestivalchorus.org.uk

“Exeter School is an independent day school for boys and girls aged 7-18 set in beautiful grounds in the heart of Exeter. With our newly refurbished music school, 500 individual instrumental music lessons each week and over 30 choirs, ensembles and orchestras, music flourishes at Exeter School. Well-established pastoral care systems and excellent teaching enable us to get the best out of our pupils; our balanced programme of subjects, cultural pursuits and outdoor activities is designed to challenge and inspire our young people.”

June Festival Final Week

The warm mid-June Monday evening past, about 120 of us heard the technical brilliance, musicality and sheer joy of David Briggs (www.david-briggs.org) in his spectacular Inaugural Recital on our new Organ. I think every pipe, pedal, key and stop was played, individually and all together!

Neil Page introduces David Briggs

Starting with a Fanfare by Graham Keitch, the Bach Prelude & Fugue showed the new Organ’s clarity in the classical repertoire, while the delicate Haydn pieces for musical clock showed its gentler colours. Briggs’ own variations on Greensleeves illustrated a different palette again, while the familiar Cocker Tuba Tune did what it said and the MacDowell Sea Pieces touched the romantic notes.

The words of Star Trek’s Chief Engineer Scotty, “She cannae take any more, Captain!”, came to my mind as David Briggs reached the climax of his transcription of Dukas’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” (made famous by Disney’s Fantasia) to end the first half of his tremendous Opening Recital. Thankfully it could, and after the interval David returned to talk about his training in France in the art of improvisation. In response to ideas from the audience, he created an Organ Symphony from “I got rhythm”, “We’ll meet again” and “Westminster Chimes”. Bach’s Air on a G string provided a calming encore to conclude a wonderful evening celebrating what can now properly be called the St Michael’s Organ.

David Briggs at St Michael’s

Many thanks to Tim Trenchard, our organ builder, for a year-long labour of love cleaning, renewing, reconfiguring, installing, voicing and tuning, to Nigel Browne for overseeing the project, to Neil Page for arranging such a fitting opening Recital, and to all who have encouraged and supported us in this task. David spoke movingly about the history of this organ in Birmingham, much of it played over 5 decades by his grandfather, and his pleasure at seeing it rebuilt in our beautiful church to be used in liturgy, recitals, concerts and teaching. Our HLF guest, Evelyn Stacey, was impressed with what we have achieved.

Richard Barnes, David Briggs & Tim Trenchard

Please now support:-

Sunday 22nd June, Music Sunday, 10.45am Mass. Setting: Little Organ Mass. Motet: Insanae et Vanae Curae. (Unhealthy and vain cares invade our minds; What profit, O Mortal, in worldly things, if you neglect the heavens? But all things are favourable to you, if God is for you.) Both by Franz Joseph Haydn.

Sunday 22nd June, 6pm Evensong & Dedication of the new Organ. With Bishop Richard Hawkins – special order of service, preceded by a 20 minute mini Organ recital. Much of the choir’s music will feature bold organ accompaniments in Balfour-Gardner’s Evening Hymn and a Stanfordfest of Psalm 150 and the Canticles in C. We are grateful to Heritage Lottery Fund, Viridor Credits and our many generous donors.

Wednesday 25th June, 7.30pm Heritage Lecture. Paul Morgan (Exeter Cathedral Organist Emeritus) on the Life and Achievements of Samuel Sebastian Wesley. Hear about the eccentric SSWesley, who was Organist of Exeter Cathedral in the 1830s and, as well as composing well-known hymns and anthems, set about improving the musical life of the CofE. He is buried just below the Catacombs in the cemetery across the valley from St Michael’s.

John Dinham, died June 27th 1864

Friday 27th June, 7.30pm Requiem Mass. In memory of the 150th Anniversary of the death of John Dinham, Exeter Tea Merchant, Philanthropist and Founder of the Mount Dinham development. Weather permitting, after the service, Richard Parker & I hope to lead a procession to the tomb of John Dinham, and his wife Susannah, in the cemetery above Exe Street.

Tomb of Susannah and John Dinham

Wednesday 2nd July, 7.30 pm St Michael’s Lecture.  The regular programme of lectures returns with Professor Emma Loosely speaking on “Christianity in Syria: Glorious Past, Uncertain Future.” Emma Loosely is Associate Professor in the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Exeter.  After graduating from a PhD in Late Antique Syria at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), she spent three years living and working as an archaeologist, fund-raiser, secretary and potato-peeler for the Community of Al-Khalil at Deir Mar Musa al-Habashi in Syria. The Community is dedicated to hospitality and Christian-Islamic dialogue.  She spent the summers directing an archaeological excavation for the Community at their other monastery, Deir Mar Elian in Qaryatayn. She also worked for the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Information as an archaeologist studying the artefacts found at a sixth-century monastery on the island of Sir Bani Yas. She has taught Oriental Christian and Islamic Art at the University of Manchester, where she was appointed Senior Lecturer.  Since 2012, she  has been working on a five-year European Research Council funded project entitled Architecture and Asceticism: Cultural Interaction between Syria and Georgia in Late Antiquity.

Please remember also to support a new generation of organists at our Young Organists’ Competition on Monday 14th July at 7.30pm. We have 9 applicants who will each play a short selection of pieces to our panel of three judges; Devon organists Jonathan Watts, Andrew Daldorph and Neil Page. Prizes include the opportunity to perform in Exeter Cathedral, in our St Michael’s Recital series, and lessons with Cathedral organists Andrew Millington and David Davies. We thank Exeter School, Exeter Festival Chorus and Budleigh Music Festival for sponsorship.

Organ Console

Fledging & Festival Updates

By midday on Sunday 8th June both the female Peregrine chicks (HeBe & HeiDi) had fledged and flown too. With no need for monitoring from us on the ground this year, it’s been hard to keep track of their first movements, but it seems all 3 are already able to fly to high points around the spire to roost and be fed.

Many took the opportunity to observe the Peregrines before attending Nick Dixon’s talk. A cameraman from the BBC’s One Show has been on hand too, so we hope there will be a feature on St Michael’s Peregrines in due course.

However, on Thursday 12th, the young male was found down, with some damage to his primary feathers; he has been taken to an RSPCA unit for treatment and rehabilitation, and we are still hopeful for a good recovery.

Heritage & Music Festival 2014

The Music & Heritage Festival is in full swing with choral concerts on Wed 11th and Fri 13th; please pull out all the stops to come and hear David Briggs, exciting player and entertaining speaker, performing on our new pipe Organ on Monday 16th June – all these at 7.30pm.

David Briggs – International Organ Virtuoso

If you need to park at the church, please get a pink parking permit when you arrive. Otherwise, the closest Exeter City car parks are Harlequins – free after 6pm, open till 11pm; Mary Arches Street – £2 after 6pm, staffed until 12pm; but NOT Guildhall, which closes at 9pm.

Meanwhile on Sunday 15th June, again at 7.30pm, we can learn more about the fascinating history of the part of Exeter we now call Mount Dinham, from Roman Camp and virtuous Victorians to melodious musicians and eloquent educators, from archaeologist and historian, Richard Parker.

Church and Episcopal School

It’s also great that the number of applicants for our Young Organists’ Competition, organised by Alex West, had swelled from a couple to 9, by the time entries closed last weekend. We look forward to an entertaining evening with our competitors and judges on Monday 14th July.

Organ Rebuilt

Finally, a reminder of Trinity Sunday 15th June, 10.45am Mass. Setting: now Mass in F by Charles Wood. Motet: Duo Seraphim by Guerrero. (Two Seraphim, from Isaiah 6, with 3 intertwining 4-part choirs representing the Holy Trinity)

News Update

A quick update on exciting current and forthcoming events.

Church and Episcopal School

Tonight! Wednesday 21st May, 7.30pm. St Michael’s Recital. Alex West (Organ). See Organ Recitals for details.

Application date for Young Organists’ Competition extended to Sat 7th June. See details here

Peregrine chicks weighed, measured and ringed, all three are healthy, developing well and getting around the nest box. See website and click Peregrine link. And yes, I’ve unofficially named them after their leg-rings HeCtor, HeBe & HeiDi!

Poster now available for Celebrity Recital by David Briggs, International Organ Virtuoso, to launch the our new Organ, on Monday 16th June at 7.30pm.

Opening organ concert on reconstructed organ formally in St Jude’s Church, Birmingham, where David’s grandfather was Organist, inspiring him as a child to learn to play and to improvise.

David Briggs – International Organ Virtuoso

Click image to enlarge.

It is a real coup for St Michael’s to have David Briggs come and formally open our newly installed pipe organ next month. It will be a thrilling opportunity to hear one of the world’s foremost organists perform pieces from J S Bach to Dukas’ the Sorcerer’s Apprentice (from Disney’s Fantasia), and to improvise a Symphony from themes suggested by the audience!

And a beautiful poster for the whole of our busy Festival Season.

Heritage & Music Festival 2014

Click image to enlarge.

We hope to see those who live near enough at St Michael’s as we celebrate.

Best regards, Richard.

Non-Breaking News

A week on from the hatching of our three chicks, and the fourth egg is still intact, so we must assume it will not now hatch. The adults are still keeping it close to their young and half-heartedly trying to incubate it, but to no avail.

Female Peregrine feeding 3 chicks; 1 egg unhatched.

The good news is that both adults are hunting well and bringing food regularly for the chicks, at least 4 times a day this week. The female seems to do all of the feeding and, although the most vocal chick usually gets first feed, she is good at ensuring all three get fully fed by the end of each session.

While one chick, possibly a male, is noticeably smaller than the other two, all seem to be feeding and growing well at this stage.

Apart from a 2-hour outage on May Morning when the streaming server had some maintenance, the live webcam footage on St Michael’s Website generously sponsored by Devon Birds has been running uninterrupted for over 3 weeks with intimate viewing of our Peregrine family day and night.

On this Blog, April was a record-breaking month with nearly 1100 views from 360 viewers. It’s also good to see the Young Organists’ Competition post getting some hits – let’s hope we get a few applications too.

May at St Michael’s

St Michael’s on a May morning

We start May with two of the most joyful and uplifting Anthems for Easter from the Anglican Choral tradition; I wrote about “Ye Choirs” this time last year. Singing Samuel Sebastian Wesley’s “BBGF” is always a treat (the male recits, the girls’ antiphony, the massive organ chords and the final full-on fugue), but especially when one is just 200 yards North of his grave by the Exeter Catacombs.

We end the month with Ascension Day Matins and Sung Mass. In between is our usual diet of excellent music, plus a Lecture and a Recital to feed the mind as well as the soul. (Alex should have a choice of the old Wyvern electronic and the restored St Jude’s pipe organs for his recital.)

Meanwhile the programme for a month-long Heritage and Music Festival on Mount Dinham in June to celebrate the (near) completion of our Heritage Lottery Fund project, and the 150th Anniversary of John Dinham, will be released soon. We are thrilled that International Organ Recitalist David Briggs will be coming on Monday 16th June to inaugurate the rebuilt Organ which he knew as a child at St Jude’s Church, Birmingham.

Please also consider prompting any keyboard players aged 21 or under to enter the Young Organists’ Competition – the judging will be gentle and there’s no obligation to commit to giving a recital, just the opportunity. Likewise, keep an eye on the progress of our Peregrine chicks via the live webcam stream, sponsored by Devon Birds.

Devon Birds

Sunday 4th May, Easter III 10.45am Mass. Setting: Mass in F, Sumsion. Motet: Ye Choirs of New Jerusalem, Stanford.

Sunday 4th May, 6pm Evensong and Benediction. Responses: Radcliffe. Psalm 48. Canticles: Stanford in C. Anthem: Blessed be the God and Father, Wesley. O salutaris: Rossini. Tantum Ergo: Fauré (in Gflat).

Sunday 11th May, Easter IV 10.45am Mass. Setting: Missa O Quam Gloriosum, Victoria. Motet: Psalm 23, Schubert.

Wednesday 14th May, St Michael’s Lecture 7.30pm. Dr Sarah Goldingay (Univ of Exeter, Dept of Drama) Performance/Placebo – 21st Century Adventures in Culture, Medicine & Healing.

Sunday 18th May, Easter V 10.45am Mass. Setting: Mass in F, Darke. Motet: Surrexit Christus, Praetorius.

Wednesday 21st May, St Michael’s Recital 7.30pm. Alex West (Organ Recital). See Alex West on organrecitals.com

Sunday 25th May, Rogation Sunday 10.45am Mass. Procession around Mount Dinham. Setting: Missa Brevissima, Casciolini. Motet: If Ye Love Me, Stopford. STOP PRESS! Motet changed to “God looks on nature with a glorious eye”, words by poet John Clare (1793-1864), music by in-choir composer, Graham Keitch.

Thursday 29th May, Ascension Day 7.30am Matins. N.B. Time reverted to 7.30 to allow for climbing the tower and breakfast (Please note the new time.) Sung from the West Gallery; followed by Breakfast.

Thursday 29th May, Ascension Day 7.30pm Mass. Setting: Mass in C & F. Motet: Coelos Ascendit Hodie, both by C V Stanford.

Sunday 1st June, Easter VII 10.45am Mass. Setting: Missa Dixit Maria, Hassler. Motet: Ascendit Deus, Philips.

Sunday 1st June, 6pm Evensong and Benediction. Responses: Sumsion. Psalm 47. Canticles: Stanford in G. Anthem: To My Request and Earnest Cry, SSWesley. O salutaris & Tantum Ergo: Plainsong.

Young Organists’ Competition

Applications now invited up until Sat 7th June (please note change of date).

With our Heritage Lottery Funded Project to install a large, restored pipe organ at the Church of St Michael and All Angels, Mount Dinham, nearing completion, as one of our celebratory events we are holding a Young Organists’ Competition. Please see below for details.

Young Organists’ Competition

On the evening of Monday 14^th July 2014, the church of St Michael and All Angels, Mount Dinham, will be holding a competition for young organists open to all people aged 21 and under.  The event is being held to celebrate the installation of a new pipe organ at St Michael’s, to encourage the playing of the organ by young people, and to raise the profile of the instrument in the Devon musical world.

Who can apply?

Anyone who plays the organ at all, regardless of how long you’ve been playing!   We’ll expect to be hearing people of very wide-ranging abilities, and candidates will be divided into two categories prior to the competition by the judges to allow for a fairer comparison.  At the end of the day, how well you play your repertoire will be considered more important than how technically challenging it is.

The competition will be held as an informal public event on the evening of Monday 14^th July.  The contestants will play to a panel of three judges.  There will be an opportunity to hear feedback after the event, but individual performances will not be publicly criticised.  The winners of each category will be announced at the end of the evening.

(In the event of an extremely high number of applications, it may be necessary for heats to be held before the main event, in which case candidates will be notified well in advance.)

How do I apply?

Click here to download the application form

Send in your completed form either by email to music@stmichaelsmountdinham.org.uk, or by post to Flat 5, 2 College Road, Exeter, EX1 1TE.  The deadline for applications is now Sat 7th June 2014.

When you’ve sent in your form, we’ll ask you to make a 3-5 minute recording of your playing and send it to us.  You don’t have to do this, but if you’re able to then it will help us decide which category you should compete in.

A recording sounds complicated, how do I do it?

If you’d like some guidance on how to do this, contact us at music@stmichaelsmountdinham.org.uk and we’ll offer advice.   You won’t be judged on the quality of the recording itself – as long as all the notes are audible, we’ll get a reasonable idea.  If you don’t have a dedicated device, most smartphones now have a device for recording.  You can send the recording by email either as a .wav or .mp3 file.

What will I be asked to do?

You’ll be notified as to which category you’ll be playing in within a week of applying.

If you’re assigned to the ‘Open’ category, you’ll need to choose a small selection of pieces, lasting no more than 10 minutes altogether, including at least one pre-1800 and at least one post-1800 piece.

If you’re assigned to the ‘Advanced’ category, you’ll need to put together a selection of pieces lasting no more than 15 minutes altogether, including:

• A piece from the German baroque
• A piece from either the French Romantic, German Romantic schools, or any piece written in the 20^th century.

If you’re unsure about whether a piece fits these requirements, contact us at music@stmichaelsmountdinham.org.uk and we’ll be able to offer guidance.  For both categories, it’s fine to play single movements of longer pieces.

Prizes

Prizes will be awarded to the winners and runners-up of each category as follows:

	First prize	Second prize
Advanced	An opportunity to perform in Exeter Cathedral (tailored to candidate) Invitation to give evening recital on the new St Michael’s Church organ £100 worth of Music Room vouchers	Two free organ lessons with Cathedral organists Andrew Millington and David Davies £50 worth of Music Room vouchers
Open	Invitation to give an evening or lunchtime recital on the new St Michael’s Church organ £50 worth of Music Room vouchers	One free organ lesson with Cathedral organist David Davies £25 worth of Music Room vouchers

With thanks to our sponsors.

Exeter Festival Chorus

“EFC has a reputation as one of the liveliest and most adventurous choirs in the South West. Our programmes aim to offer a stimulating mix of works from the established choral repertoire together with music from the less well-known and the contemporary choral scene. Our repertoire ranges from renaissance to present-day choral music and covers a variety of genres.” Visit us at www.exeterfestivalchorus.org.uk

“Exeter School is an independent day school for boys and girls aged 7-18 set in beautiful grounds in the heart of Exeter. With our newly refurbished music school, 500 individual instrumental music lessons each week and over 30 choirs, ensembles and orchestras, music flourishes at Exeter School. Well-established pastoral care systems and excellent teaching enable us to get the best out of our pupils; our balanced programme of subjects, cultural pursuits and outdoor activities is designed to challenge and inspire our young people.”