New organs are still being built around the world. Some replace instruments that have reached the end of their working life; others are created entirely anew for new spaces.
These films explore a selection of those projects, revealing the many factors involved in designing and building a new organ – from sound and style to space, purpose and use.
This film follows the installation of the new ‘Juliet’ organ at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire – a purpose-built teaching instrument designed to inspire the next generation of organists.
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This film follows the installation of the new ‘Juliet’ organ at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire – a purpose-built teaching instrument designed to inspire the next generation of organists. Built by leading UK organ builders William Drake Ltd, the instrument has over 1,100 pipes and is based on the rich sound world of the 19th-century English Romantic tradition.
But this organ is not just for advanced students. It has been created as a versatile, accessible instrument for learning – used in lessons, concerts and outreach work with schools. That makes it especially significant in a First Stop context: it shows how the organ can be introduced from the very beginning, connecting first encounters with the instrument to professional training at the highest level.
As you watch, you’ll see how the instrument is built, how it works, and why spaces like this matter in opening up the organ to new audiences.
You can read more about Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and its organ department at www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/music/departments/piano/organ
Photograph: © Greg Milner
