Sustaining ’s SCT Places of Worship Newsletter June 2020 Organ Dedication

cotland’s Churches Trust Sis established for charitable purposes only and, in particular, aims to advance the preservation, promotion and understanding of Scotland’s rich architectural heritage represented in its churches and places of worship of all denominations. SCT aims to advance heritage and religion by the preservation and upkeep of churches and other places of worship, to encourage these places of worship to open to welcome visitors, tourists and pilgrims and to advance education and promote understanding of the public about the history, art, architecture and traditions of churches and other places of worship and their position as a focal point in the community. One of the groups WHO WE ARE KCVO Kt OStJ TD FRSE advice is greatly valued: which feeds into the The Organ Committee also a former Moderator Sheila Chisholm ,who main Trust at SCT is the is chaired by a Vice- of the is organist at St Peter’s Organ Committee. The President, Lady Gill, and and Co-Chancellor of the Lutton Place, , principal functions of includes three Trustees: University of Aberdeen, Stuart Muir, Director of this committee are to Very Rev. Sheilagh Kesting and Liam Devlin, Unicorn Ceremonial Music at the distribute grants for organ DSG, a former Moderator Pursuivant of Arms, who is University of Aberdeen, lessons, finding suitable of the Church of Scotland a professional organist and Andrew Forbes, Director teachers where necessary, and for many years the teacher. of Music at Glasgow and to provide subsidies Kirk’s Secretary of the The Committee also Cathedral, and Stewart for concerts in places of Church of Scotland includes a range of highly Alston, formerly organist, worship where the organ is Ecumenical Liaison Officer; qualified and experienced New St Andrews Church, featured. Very Rev Prof church organists whose Coatbridge. Newsletter June 2020

WHAT WE DO Support Organ Lessons we can offer further sets Support Organ Concerts to help where we can. Our Our most regular activity of lessons up to a value of The SCT Organ Committee grants for this are not is to solicit and review about £1000. is also very happy to give enormous - £250-£350 on applications from people of Currently we have grants to places of worship average – but can make all ages, all over Scotland, students in Gretna, to enable them to put on the difference between the who are interested in Glasgow, Edinburgh and musical events involving event’s going ahead or not. taking organ lessons. We Oban and regard this as a the organ. We are well Most recently we offer substantial grants to good investment for the aware of the incidental sponsored concert series pay for these lessons which future of church services expenses in such events, in Aberfoyle, Perth and are allocated in sets of and organ playing in even when a celebrity Glasgow. six. After suitable reviews Scotland. player is not being brought from teacher and student, in from outside and like SCT Sir Boyd Tunnock Organ Travel Bursaries Through the generosity of each worth up to £2000, lessons with a recognised one of our Vice-Presidents, to allow organists up to the teacher of high repute and Sir Boyd Tunnock, age of 40, attached to a if possible visit the atelier Scotland’s Churches Scottish church, to spend of an organ builder. Trust was delighted to a period of time playing The below orgnaists have announce last autumn and studying organs in one been appointed for 2020. the creation of up to two or more foreign countries, annual Travel Bursaries, to take some consultation

Tom Wilkinson Steven MA(Oxon), McIntyre MMus, FRCO BMus (Hons),

City of Edinburgh FRCO, FTCL, Methodist Church PGDE

St Mary’s Episcopal cathedral, Glasgow

Tom intends to use his scholarship for advanced Steven is the assistant organist at St Mary’s study in Stuttgart, Leipzig and other places in Episcopal cathedral, Glasgow, and intends to study Germany. in Paris, chiefly at St Severin with M. Christophe Tom is a former Organ Scholar at Truro Cathedral Mantoux, and to explore some of the Parisian organs and The Queen’s College, Oxford. of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. He is University Organist to the University of St Steven comes from Grangemouth and is a former Andrews and Organist of the City of Edinburgh assistant organist to Paisley Abbey and organ Methodist Church. scholar at Peterborough Cathedral. Tom founded the Kellie Consort providing training He is currently assistant organist at St Mary’s and performance opportunities in the field of Episcopal Cathedral, Glasgow, and teaching in historically-informed performance and is currently Balfron, as well as having a busy concert career. completing a PhD on the music of J.S.Bach. He won all the prizes for his year of Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists including, most prestigiously, the Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. Newsletter June 2020

Andrew Forbes BEng (Hons), MMus, ARCO “We congratulate all three of our Bursars most warmly Glasgow Cathedral and look forward to hearing their recitals and reading their Our third appointee is for 2021, and is Andrew accounts of their studies in Forbes BEng (Hons), MMus, ARCO, Director of Music at Glasgow Cathedral, whose studies will take our Annual Review. “ place in the United States, at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and the Boston Organ Studio. Andrew’s first degree is in naval architecture but he was drawn to a musical career and took an MMus with Distinction at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where he won the RCS Prize for Early Music. He runs the Cathedral Festival in Glasgow and has given recitals all over Europe including in the extraordinary Philharmonie in Paris (pictured) on the Rieger organ.

e congratulate will be announced later in of our subscribing all three of the year. churches. We Wour Bursars The Trustees who made are enormously most warmly and look the awards were Liam grateful to our forward to hearing their Devlin (Chairman), Very contributing recitals and reading Rev. Sheilagh Kesting DSG, composers. their accounts of their and Very Rev. Prof. Iain Finally, the SCT studies in our Annual Torrance KCVO Kt OStJ Organ Committee Review. Andrew gave TD FRSE. has agreed on the 2019 SCT Annual We also announce the a partnership Recital in St Columba’s, publication of our volume with the University of St Ayr, while Tom will give Eleven Hymn Preludes Andrews on a project to organ lessons – we can the 2020 SCT Recital, for Organ, a series of be called Sowne of Organe arrange for the tuition – in conjunction with the meditations on well- which aims to record and as well as some financial University of St Andrews, known hymn-tunes kindly conserve historic organs in support to concerts and in St Salvator’s Chapel, donated to the Trust by Scotland. concert series in which the St Andrews on Tuesday church organists from all We continue to award organ is featured. 27th October 2020 at over Scotland, which will generous grants to anyone Full details can be found 1.10 p.m. Steven’s recital be distributed free to all who wishes to take up on our website.

To find out more of what we do, or to join as a Church or Friend please contact us or visit our web site. Church Membership is £50 a year and becoming a Friend starts at £20. www.scotlandschurchestrust.org.uk [email protected]