Sowne of Organe

03/07/2026

It's been a most interesting day so far, recording this excellent J J Binns organ (1913)—the kirkyard and church are well worth a visit in their own right! Join us for the full experience at 4pm tomorrow (Saturday), or come at 2:30pm to try your hand at building an organ during our Orgelkids workshop 🧩🔧🎶

28/06/2026

All are welcome to Dunblane Cathedral Music at Midday concert on Saturday 4 July at 12 noon presented by Dunblane Cathedral Director of Music, Steven McIntyre, on the fabulous Flentrop organ. Music includes works by JS Bach, Mozart, Albright and Madsen. Stay and chat over a bowl of soup in the hall afterwards.

https://landing.churchdesk.com/en-gb/e/48467194/Music-at-Midday---Organ-Recital-by-Steven-McIntyre?utm_source=Widget+on+www.dunblanecathedral.org.uk&utm_medium=Widgets

20/06/2026

the sun is shining outdoors, and there's something quite special inside...! A bit more theatrical than our usual style—don't miss what promises to be a very exciting event at 3pm today: A Giant Reawakens

19/06/2026

Calum Landon (University of St Andrews) is on the bench for today's recordings, giving a ferociously exciting rendition of Widor 6! Although Calum can't be with us tomorrow, we'll be sharing fascinating glimpses inside the organ itself as part of our presentation, along with performances from five other organists. Join us at 3pm for A Giant Reawakens on Saturday 20th June.

19/06/2026

It's hard to convey just how vast this place is, and the organ is built to match—Father Willis at his very best. We're greatly enjoying our rehearsals and recording, and look forward to sharing this magnificent instrument with you at 3pm on Saturday (more info: A Giant Reawakens).

Pictured is Eilidh Harris (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire) registering César Franck 'Prélude, Fugue et Variation'. We are indebted to Edinburgh Society of Organists for their support and partnership on this event, and are particularly grateful to David Turner who is providing valuable console assistance through these recording sessions!

17/06/2026

We hope you can join us at 3pm in St Stephen's this Saturday. The night before, just round the corner, there's a performance celebrating the 160-year-old Alexandre Pere et Fils harmonium of Stockbridge Church. More info at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/still-breathing-160-years-of-our-harmonium-tickets-1989825801537

Ben Shanks

Come and celebrate our 160 year old harmonium with Music by César Franck, Louis Vierne, Sigfrid Karg-Elert

12/03/2026

Kudos to our friends Pipe Up for Pipe Organs for their research into the organ conservation crisis and for generating such excellent coverage for it on the BBC yesterday!

More than 400 church pipe organs are being junked or falling silent every year, a charity says.

08/02/2026

Last year Sowne of Organe crowdfunded and co-ordinated a team of volunteers led by organ builder Andrew MacDonald who rescued and dismantled the c1860 D and T Hamilton organ at Colliston Church in Angus. We are delighted to present our digital prospectus as we seek a partner in Scotland to provide new home in Scotland. This could be a small church, who perhaps wouldn't otherwise be able to afford a pipe organ, or another public building where the organ will be heard. The prospectus includes FAQs (including about costs), dimensions and professionally produced recordings made of the organ before dismantling. If you are interesting in working with us to adopt this beautiful piece of Scottish musical heritage, please email [email protected]; we'd love to hear from you! https://tinyurl.com/3bh662fm

07/01/2026

We are delighted to present our most recent survey, of the Glasgow-built 1899 Joseph Brook organ at Crichton Collegiate Church. Unfortunately this survey doesn't include recordings due to issues with the pneumatics caused by both the extreme climatic conditions in the church and by hungry mice... Nevertheless, there is the usual collection of images, documents and historical and technical overviews. The survey can be accessed here:

Midlothian: Crichton Collegiate Church Joseph Brook & Co, 1899 — organ surveyed May 2025 Contributors: Chris Bragg, Andrew Forbes, Matthew Hynes, Steven McIntyre, Serena Whitmarsh

13/11/2025

We enjoyed learning how to use Scotland's first Orgelkids kit last weekend, at our Sowne 2026 planning day kindly hosted by Dunblane Cathedral. The Sowne team offer our grateful thanks to Glasgow Society of Organists for a generous donation earlier this year, which supported our contribution to this Orgelkids project. The kit was purchased through a Scotland-wide partnership, so keep your eyes peeled for where and when it'll pop up near you!