Below are our reports on recent events and instruments that we have visited: Musical Extravaganza - a fundraising concert at All Saints Woodford Wells on 18/03/2017 by David Sutton A visit to St Mary of Eton Hackney Wick on 23/04/2016 by David Sutton A visit to St Luke’s Hillyfields Enfield on 20/02/2016 by David Sutton Visit to the Temple Church London on 03/10/2015 by David Sutton Visit to St Mary’s Standon on 05/09/2015 by David Sutton Visit to the Royal Academy of Music on 04/07/2015 by David Sutton Visit to Marlow on 13/06/2015 by David Sutton Visit to the City of London School on 02/03/2015 by David Sutton Visit to Chelsea Hospital on 17/01/2015 by David Sutton An evening with our President, Catherine Ennis, at St Mary-Le-Bow on 12/11/2014 by David Sutton A visit to Notting Hill Gate and Bayswater on 11/10/2014 by David Sutton Visit to Holy Innocents High Beech on 03/08/2014 by David Sutton Organ Symposium, Royal Festival Hall on 02/08/2014 by Claire Randall Visit to St George’s Metropolitan Cathedral Southwark on 05/07/2014 by David Sutton Visit to St John’s Stratford Broadway on 12/04/2014 by David Sutton Visit to the Union Chapel Islington on 11/01/2014 by David Sutton Visit to the Mansion House on 12/10/2013 by David Sutton 'Royal Connections' - Visits to Aldborough Hatch and Goodmayes on 28/09/2013 by David Sutton Visit to Bury St Edmunds on 17/08/2013 by David Sutton Visit to St John’s Seven Kings on 23/07/2013 by David Sutton Visit to Loughton Methodist Church on 18/03/2013 by David Sutton Peter Collins Day – a visit to two organs on 12/01/2013 by David Sutton An evening with Frederick Stocken on 25/10/2012 by David Sutton Visit to Westminster Central Hall on 10/09/2012 by David Sutton Visit to North Hertfordshire on 21/07/2012 by David Sutton Visit to the Grosvenor Chapel Mayfair on 18/06/2012 by David Sutton Visit to St Bede’s Chadwell Heath on 30/05/2012 by David Sutton St John the Evangelist RC Church, Duncan Terrace, Islington on 10/03/2012 by David Sutton Crown Court Church of Scotland, Covent Garden, on 14/01/2012 by David Sutton Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church on 19/11/2011 by David Sutton St Dunstan’s Stepney on 8/10/2011 by David Sutton Our Lady of Lourdes Wanstead on 22/08/2011 by David Sutton St Mary’s Tottenham on 07/07/2011 by David Sutton St Michael’s Cornhill on 13/6/2011 by David Sutton St John’s Epping on 19/03/2011 by David Sutton St. Paul’s Cathedral on 6/1/2011 by David Sutton Palace of Westminster on 6/11/2010 by David Sutton Westminster Cathedral on 18/10/2010 - by David Sutton St Peter Ad Vincula in Tower of London on 21/6/2010 - by David Sutton CLESO AGM at St Lawrence Jewry on 29/4/2010 - by David Sutton St Giles’ Cripplegate on 04/03/2010 - by David Sutton St Mary's Bourne Street on 16/01/2010 - by Brian O'Hagan All Saints’ Margaret Street on 09/11/2009 – by David Sutton An evening with Peter Wright on 18/05/2009 – by David Sutton St Botolph’s Aldgate on 30/04/2009 - by David Sutton West London Synagogue on 19/03/2009 - by David Sutton The church of St John Vianney Clayhall on 10/01/2009 – by David Sutton St Edmund’s South Chingford on 22/11/2008 – by David Sutton CLESO visit to Cambridge on 04/10/2008 - by Chris Morris St Mary’s Birchanger on 09/08/2008 - by David Sutton Kentish Town on 05/07/2008 - by David Sutton St. Alban’s Holborn on 05/04/2008 - by David Sutton Musical Extravaganza - All Saints Woodford Wells Four Organists and a Choir (fundraising concert on 18/03/2017) By David Sutton After serving the church well over the past 60 years, the All Saints Woodford Wells organ (Henry Willis rebuilt by J.W. Walker) at is now sadly showing signs of old age with three stops off on the Choir Organ (jammed slides), several dodgy notes on the Great and various failures on the piston front etc etc. A “sticking plaster” regime to keep it going, which has been operating over the past few years, is now no longer a viable option. So, if the church wants to keep its wonderful Willis for the future, a rebuild is now on the cards. And this will, of course, involve considerable expense. Started by the former choir director and organist Ed Whitehead, a series of recitals and musical fundraising events have taken place and, on the whole, they have been well attended. So, when the idea for this event took root, it was anticipated that the result would be similar. CLESO Voices, a choir formed in September 2016 for CLESO’s concert held at Christ the King Chingford, was recalled and, as the September format was so successful, the same was adopted for the All Saints event …the format being a composite recital of several CLESO organists together with singing by CLESO Voices. Four CLESO members: Charles Whitham, Mark James, Roderick Sime and Ed Kemp-Luck each contributed their own selection of pieces which showed off their style and the romantic nature of the instrument. CLESO Voices, accompanied so ably by Ed, demonstrated a ready musicality and gave a sensitive and powerful performance. It also showed what a marvellous accompanying instrument the Willis is with its flexibility and range of tones (those which worked!). There was an estimated number perhaps approaching 150 seated in the audience. During the interval and afterwards there were numerous comments expressing pleasure at the whole event. All Saints PA/AV technology was used and the organists were displayed on the screens for all to witness their dexterity and skill as they played. There was a stupendous result in the donation plates on the day of at least £1500 and later someone very generously gave an additional £1000 making a grand total of over £2500 (allowing for Gift Aid). The writer is told that there will be more to come, so watch this space. All Saints Church is indebted to CLESO for its contribution to this event because, without its members’ skills and dedication, it could never have happened. CLESO should be proud of itself! A visit to St Mary of Eton Hackney Wick on 23/04/2016 by David Sutton The church interior is light and airy – a Bodley design built in the 1890s – and has a rich resonant acoustic to match. It was lovely to revisit the place after making friends with it in the mid-1960s when this two manual Grant Degens and Rippin organ was built, incorporating some ranks from the previous two manual Walker. The sound of this instrument matches and enhances (in my view at least) the open sunny and reverent atmosphere the building generates. When Grant Degens and Rippin built it in 1965, the console was placed in a north gallery opposite the pipework which is situated in bays on the south side of the rear nave. Now the console has been re-sited at floor level in the nave behind a pillar on the south side. This may put the organist ‘more in the thick of things’ but the adjacent pillar tends to mask the tonal output to some extent. This however does not temper in any way the glorious sound this organ makes. To my mind the specification is almost a perfect amalgam of the romantic and neo-classical. The Great division has a fully developed diapason chorus topped by two compound stops – a four rank Mixture and a two/three rank Scharf. This is offset and complemented by a flute chorus at pitches of 16, 8, 4, 2⅔, and 1⅗. To cap it all, there are the 8 and 4 Harmonic Trumpets on slightly higher pressure wind. There is also an 8’ Dulciana to accompany any solo stops on the Swell division. The Swell on the other hand is considerably more romantic in character equipped with undulating strings, a diapason chorus topped with a three rank Mixture and an 8’ Gedeckt. The chorus reeds are a 16’ Horn (duplexed on the Pedal), 8’ Trompette and a 4’ Schalmei. A useful touch is that the Great 8’ Harmonic Trumpet is also available on this manual. The Pedal division has developed choruses of both diapasons and flutes (topped with a three rank Mixture) and has reeds of 16/8/4 and the Swell 16 Horn. For registration aids, there are three thumb pistons to each manual plus three generals – a bit ‘mean’ perhaps for the number of registers involved (34 speaking stops + couplers). The reversible are not labelled – could be confusing at first. Another Grant Degens instrument (of three manuals at St Mary’s Woodford and almost contemporaneous) only has a similar number of controls. The original refurbished Hackney Wick console had this number and it seems to me there was no ‘thirst’ for increasing this number despite the provision of a multi-channel solid-state piston setter and stepper. Notwithstanding the above (a rather petty gripe!), the whole playing experience was for me wonderful. The organ did everything demanded of it. The very generous acoustic was a joy to work with.