The second annual Waterford International Organ Festival features a varied programme across three days celebrating the organ. The festival theme ‘Fireworks from Aloft’ reflects the star role played by the organ as a solo concert instrument, as well as in orchestral and choral contexts in collaboration with the Symphony Club of Waterford and the Mornington Singers. The festival is structured around three major evening concerts, with additional opportunities for people of all ages to engage with the ‘king of instruments’ through a children’s workshop, choral workshop, and festival eucharist.
Programme Overview
All festival events take place at Christ Church Cathedral Waterford
Friday, 10 June 2022
20:00 – Opening Concert: ‘Fireworks from Aloft’
A concert featuring solo works for the organ performed by Laura Schlappa, recent winner of the Northern Ireland International Organ Competition.
Charles Tournemire – Choral-Improvisation sur le „Victimae paschali”
Louis Vierne – Pièces de Fantaisie op.53 – Clair de lune, and Pièces en style libre en deux livres op.31 – Scherzetto
César Franck – Cantabile from Trois Pièces
Georges Bizet – Carmen-Phantasie paraphrased by Edwin H. Lemare
Charles-Marie Widor – Symphonie Nr. 6 Op. 42, 2 ‘Allegro’, 4 ‘Cantabile’
Jehan Alain – Deuxième Fantaisie
Jean Guillou – Toccata op.9
Tickets:
General Admission – €12:00
Concession – €10.00
Children under the age of 18 – Free when accompanied by parents
Saturday, 11 June 2022
11:00 – Children’s Workshop: ‘Introducing the King of Instruments’
An interactive workshop introducing the organ with Simon Harden, Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral Waterford, and Lecturer in Organ Performance at the TU Dublin Conservatoire. The workshop will include an exploration of the various tonal palletes of the organ using extracts from Camille Saint-Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals.
Tickets:
Admission – Free, pre-registration on eventbrite required
20:00 – Organ and Orchestra Concert: ‘All Stops Out’
This concert pulls out all the stops with music for organ and orchestra presented in partnership with the Waterford Symphony Club.
Richard Wagner – Overture from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Piotr Tchaikovsky – Serenade melancolique
John Williams – 3 pieces from Schindlers List
Camille Saint-Saëns – Symphony No 3 in C minor (Op 78), often referred to as ‘the organ symphony’
Simon Harden, Organ
Hibernian Orchestra conducted by John Finucane, with Patrick Rafter violin soloist.
Tickets:
General Admission – €20:00
Sunday, 12 June 2022
10:00 – Festival Eucharist
Featuring music for choir and organ by Irish Composer Charles Villiers Stanford and Waterford Composer Eric Sweeney.
Simon Harden, organ, and the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral Waterford
14:00 – Choral Workshop: ‘Awaken your Voice’
All singers are welcome to come and participate in this choral workshop with Orla Flanagan, conductor of the Dublin-based award-winning mixed-voice chamber choir Mornington Singers
This workshop will cover areas of vocal production, active listening exercises and group improvisation.
Tickets:
General Admission – €10:00, pre-registration on Eventbrite required.
20:00 – Choral concert with organ improvisation: ‘Night on Earth’
This concert will feature a broad mix of music from such diverse voices as Clara Schumann, Heinrich Schutz, Karin Rehnqvist, Fanny Hensel, Felix Mendelssohn, Anna Cederberg-Orreteg, Anna-Karin Klockar, Xabier Sarasola, Eriks Esenvalds and more.
Mornington Singers, conducted by Orla Flanagan
Aleksandr Nisse, organ
Tickets:
General Admission – €15:00
Concession – €10.00
Children under the age of 18 – Free when accompanied by parents