An evening of music with Organist Geoffrey Coffin who will once again come and play our unique 1890s Kirkland Organ. This year he will be joined by Flautist, Edwina Smith. They will play duets and solos.
The Star at Sancton will serve canapés, wine and soft drinks in the evening sun.
There will also be locally made ice-creams and sorbets.
There is limited capacity in the Church and entry tickets (free) are required for safety. Tickets available by text 07836 228445 or pandg@ivyhouse.karoo.co.uk
Off road car parking
Programme
6.00 pm First half of concert
6.45 pm The Star serve wine and canapés: ice-cream/sorbet
7.30 pm Second half of concert
8.15 pm close
https://www.york.ac.uk/music/staff/instrumental/edwina-smith/
Geoffrey Coffin was organ scholar at Emmanuel College, Cambridge from 1965–68 and studied with Sir David Willcocks. On leaving University he worked as Administrator of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, moving to York in 1971 when he was appointed assistant organist to Dr. Francis Jackson at York Minster.
While serving in this capacity he also developed his interest in organ building and worked for J. W. Walker & Sons, Ltd., both in Britain and, later, abroad. He established Principal Pipe Organs in York in 1983 and he and his staff have built a significant number of new organs. They have also undertaken a wide range of restoration work in every part of the country from the smallest chamber instrument to the Screen organ in York Minster (1992-93). The team has recently completed the total restoration of the large four manual and pedal Hill organ at Selby Abbey and is currently constructing a new three manual and pedal instrument for St. Bartholomew’s Church in Wilmslow.
Geoffrey has played widely in Britain, Denmark and Holland, and has also participated in broadcasts and recordings. He continues to play solo recitals, regularly directs various choirs and accompanies singers and instrumentalists.
All Saints Sancton, Kirkland Organ was purchased in 1895/6 for £80 from Holder Bros Hull .The Archbishop of Hull’s pony and trap transport to dedicate it cost 37.5p! Alfred Kirkland was established in Wakefield in 1874 and had opened a London branch by 1885. Kirkland was born in 1857 and died in 1927, his business having been taken over by Hill, Norman & Beard in 1923.
There are 178 organs known to have been built or rebuilt by Alfred Kirkland of which a high percentage are instruments for the Unitarian, Methodist and Baptist chapels . The Organ at St. Bartholomew, Riby (in Lincolnshire), built in 1904/5 is identical.
Geoffrey will talk about organ construction between the musical numbers in the programme.
A little background, the working parts of our organ are behind the front display pipes which are not functional. There is a ‘box’ made of wood into which the pipes (whistles) are fitted in the top .They are in sequences of named ranges (ranks). Air is let into these boxes by operating the stop/stops on the keyboard console. Descriptive names on the stops like dulciana, flute and bourdon are used to describe the ranks. Each individual pipe/whistle can then be sounded by opening the valves (pallets) operated by one of the keys or foot pedals .The number of stops (boxes) operating determines the volume of air needed to blow /create the range of sounds /notes. Complex and loud music requires a lot of air and we have augmented our hand-pump this evening with a backup electrically driven bellows.Our Kirkland organ is small having some 300 pipes. Compare this with the Hull City Hall massive organ which has 6000 pipes.
