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Reaching the First Million – Grand Organ Appeal Update
Thursday 19th September 2024, 7.30pm in Wells Cathedral

The Friends of Wells Cathedral are holding a special evening on Thursday 19th September to focus on the Cathedral’s Organ and the fundraising for it refurbishment and renovation. The Friends Grand Organ Appeal has now reached £950,000 in donations and pledges, only £50,000 short of the first million pounds, the halfway point of the Appeal.   

Unfortunately, the news about the current state of the organ is much less joyful; 25% of the instrument is not playable and will not be so until it is rebuilt.  Further deterioration is inevitable. This sad news has only spurred the Friends to raise the funding as fast as they can. One of the first public performances for the Cathedral’s new Director of Music, Timothy Parsons, will be a concert in the Cathedral on Thursday September 19th at 7:00pm. He will be joined by the Cathedral’s the Assistant Director of Music, Carolyn Craig, the Wells Chamber Choir and others as the evening demonstrates the various ways in which the organ supports the musical life of the Cathedral. The evening will present the organ as a solo instrument, in conjunction with singers and other instruments, and supporting community singing.  There will also be an interview with Timothy Parsons, as well as an update on the Appeal and refurbishment plans.

 Mr David Morgan-Hewitt, chair of the Friends’ Appeal Committee says, “The Grand Organ Appeal has now reached £950,000 in donations and pledges. This means we are only £50,000 short of the first million pounds - our halfway point!  This is a great milestone that we hope to be able to reach and celebrate before the end of 2024. Thank you so much to so many of you for your generous support already received from around the world, which has helped us to get so close to this important point on our fundraising journey.”

The skills of organists help to cover up so many of the shortcomings which now exist. Sticking notes, hissing sounds, mechanical malfunctions on stops and delays in the reaction to the keyboards are all regular occurrences which they try their best to disguise. However, even the skills of these amazing musicians are no longer enough to keep standards up. In recent months there have been some heart stopping moments when it seemed possible that the organ would fail altogether.

 The primary objective of the Appeal is to recondition the organ by removing all 5,000 existing pipes for repair, cleaning or replacement and to overhaul the console, the pedals and the stops. But the vision also includes plans to deliver a significant enhancement to its musical performance.  It is intended to add a few more pipes to increase the range and interest of sounds available, especially for the larger occasions. The Cathedral’s organ is one of the few without a colossal 32-foot stop to underpin the fabulous sound of a great congregation.   The hope is that the refurbished organ will be a Grand Organ that will be truly appropriate for the Cathedral’s reputation as a centre of excellence for English choral music.

The event on 19th September will launch The Friends of Wells Cathedral £50,000 Push.  All are very welcome to attend this free event.

Timothy Parsons

Carolyn Craig

David Morgan-Hewitt