Choir & Organ - Summer 2025

The summer issue of Choir & Organ puts the spotlight on renowned choral festivals, forgotten composers and restored instruments.

The cover story looks at the meticulous restoration of the 1871 ‘Father’ Willis organ at the ‘Cathedral of North London’, St Augustine’s, Kilburn and hears from Andrew Scott about the work by Harrison & Harrison.

We meet the composer Joanna Marsh ahead of two premieres, her striking triptych for St John’s, Cambridge and her new Psalm for Chichester, and why setting sacred text is never just about tradition. Then, in her regular column, Leah Broad explores the lesser-known choral music of Ethel Smyth as the original manuscript of Smyth’s Mass is discovered in Liverpool.

David Smith meets the famed organist of Paisley Abbey since 1963, George McPhee, and we look at a new organ from the Dutch firm Orgelmakerij Reil, which is attracting attention in Berlin. Clare Stevens also travels to Liverpool to learn about the eclectic amateur choirs of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.

Elsewhere, as the historic Three Choirs Festival, rooted in the English choral tradition, welcomes a new chapter under CEO David Francis, we look at the ambitious 2025 Festival and plans for the future, and explore the impact of the competitive choral hub – the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.