Your RCO event details can be found below.
Please note that the 24-hour clock is used on all event listings, with all times being GMT/BST. To book courses and classes, please follow the Book Online link wherever you see it, and email bookings@rco.org.uk or call 020 3865 6998 with any queries. Where events are free or not bookable online, please follow the instructions for that event.
Come to Oakham Parish Church and enjoy playing the lovely Kenneth Tickell organ. Bring some suitable repertoire and get encouraging advice from James Lloyd Thomas. All standards are welcome.
Music suggestions for those ‘switching’ from the piano to the organ (just a few suggestions):
Any Bach harpsichord (piano) pieces.
Keyboard works by Byrd, Handel, Telemann, or 20th-century ‘neo-classical’ works (where the compass doesn’t go below C).
Anything from a ‘manuals only’ book, e.g., the C.H. Trevor books (OUP) have some very short and straightforward pieces.
A hymn – with or without pedals.
For the more experienced organist: come and play repertoire you are learning or have learnt, and get advice and guidance on how to develop your interpretation. Music for services, concerts, weddings, and funerals will all be considered and discussed.
Music suggestions:
Any pieces from the repertoire will be considered – early to 21st century, including, but not limited to, Bach, Early French, Early English, Romantic French (e.g., Franck or Vierne), German music from the 19th and 20th centuries. Hymns, accompaniments, and service music also very welcome.
The organ
The organ is by Kenneth Tickell (1995). See the entry on NPOR: https://npor.org.uk/survey/D02710
And also see the church’s website: https://oakhamteam.org.uk/welcome/music/organs/all-saints-oakham-organ/
The tutor
Over the course of his career, James has built up a wealth of experience as an organist, teacher, and choral and orchestral director. He has studied organ with teachers including Christopher Stokes, David Sanger, James Parsons, and Margaret Phillips, and has extensive recital experience both in the UK and overseas. He has given recitals in most British cathedrals and major parish churches, has been a finalist in international competitions and has made numerous recordings. In addition, he has held major church appointments in Grantham, Shrewsbury, and at St Mary’s Bourne Street. He is an Accredited Teacher of the Royal College of Organists and acts as the RCO’s Regional Consultant in the East Midlands. To read more about James and his work, follow the link: http://www.organlessons.co.uk/biography.htm
Fee: £30 RCO member; £45 non-member; £20 RCO student member; £35 non-member in full-time education; £15 RCO observer; £25 non-member observer
For RCO courses and classes, the following key is used as a guide to level and suitability:
Beginner (Grades 1-4)
Intermediate (Grades 4-6)
Advanced (Grades 6-8 / CRCO)
Diploma 1 (CRCO–ARCO)
Diploma 2 (ARCO–FRCO)