Coventry Cathedral launches organ appeal

As part of the celebrations surrounding its Diamond Jubilee, Coventry Cathedral will host a Symphony of Remembering concert this Saturday (11 June) featuring Canadian organist Rachel Mahon (pictured below) and the Orchestra of the Swan, conducted by Michael Collins, with the aim of raising money for the repair and restoration of the cathedral organ.

Looking to raise £1 million, the Diamond Jubilee Organ Appeal Fund will pay for the individual cleaning and reassembling of the organ’s almost 5000 pipes as well as replacing outdated electrics and broken parts of the instrument. Even while in need of repair, the organ will be a powerful addition to Saturday’s concert, showcased in a programme including Mahler, Vaughan Williams and Mozart as well as Poulenc's Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani.

Organist and director of music at the cathedral, Rachel Mahon, said: ‘It's a stunning instrument. It's lovely to play as well. I think most organists are in agreement that it is one of the top organs in the UK - they got it completely perfect for the building. The way the organ sounds, it completely fills the space, and everything blends.’

The concert will also feature a performance of Derek Nisbet's Symphony of Remembering, a work written especially for the cathedral, by British chamber orchestra, Orchestra of the Swan. Formed in 1995, the orchestra is passionate about new music, premiering more than 70 new works, and about community outreach, with projects in care homes, schools and rural areas.

The Harrison and Harrison pipe organ was commissioned for the new Coventry Cathedral when it was consecrated in 1962 after its predecessor, St Michael’s Cathedral, was destroyed by German bombing in 1940. The new organ was part of fundraising efforts by British-Canadian organist and composer Healey Willan to repair British organs destroyed in World War II. In the 60 years since its installation, the instrument has suffered considerable wear and tear.

You can find out more about the concert, including tickets, here.

You can find out more about the Orchestra of the Swan here.

You can find out more about Coventry Cathedral here.