Grinding their Organs

The Choir of King's College, Cambridge, founded by Henry V1 in 1441, open the 10th International Organ and Choral Festival at St. Patrick's Cathederal on Saturday. They will also sing at Mass at the Pro-Cathedral at 11 p.m. on Sunday. Other events in this fabulous week-long programme include Piccolo Lass singing in St. Audeon's Church, High Street, Michelle Leclerc playing the Pro-Cathederal organ and the Choirs of St. Patrick's and Church Church Cathedrals with the Palestrina Choir laying down their cudgels (no really, I'm joking) and singing together at St. Patrick's Cathederal on Thursday night. The new, and much feted group, Christ Church Baroque will play a French Baroque Mass at Christ Church on Sunday 27th at 11 p.m., but there may be some sharp-eyed people in the congregation watching out to see if they are playing period or modern instruments. They received an £80,000 grant from the Arts Council last year to buy period instruments. So far, six bows and a baroque cello have been bought, and an organ, a viola and a violin have been commissioned, and some music-lovers around town are getting tired listening to the ensemble playing on modern instruments.

Jude Brereton of Christ Church Baroque contends, however, that you can't just go out and buy these things, it takes time to acquire them. The violin and viola should be ready by the end of the summer, the organ by next February. Some players have their own instruments, so they will shortly be able to play on period instruments (it has to be all modern or all period, you see). So the message to be-rockers is - be patient.

More news on the organ front: a campaign will be launched tonight to raise funds for the fine 19th-century organ in a Gothic case which is in the Church of Ireland Church in gorgeous Timoleague, Co. Cork. The organ was purchased for £20 in Skib in the 1880s, but the overhaul will require a fair bit more. There will be a fundraising concert by the Hibernia String Trio in the church, which has magnificent mosaics, including some donated by the Maharajah of Gwalior in memory of the surgeon who saved his son's life, on July 11th - to book phone 087-6773017.