About us – St Albans International Organ Festival

The St Albans International Organ Festival presents arguably the world’s leading organ competition. Its roll-call of past prize-winners includes many of today’s most influential organists.

For two weeks our biennial festival celebrates organs and a lot more besides. A diverse mix of large-scale and intimate concerts, talks, workshops, art exhibitions and fringe events offers something for everyone and complements the organ competition itself. Events are centred around the magnificent Norman cathedral of St Albans and spread out across this beautiful historic city. Important venues in London host additional competition rounds and performances.

The festival attracts leading performers from around the world together with the very best young organists. It was founded in 1963 by the distinguished organist Peter Hurford OBE (1930–2019).

Latest News

- Announcing an Online Competition for 2021
  March 8, 2021NewsApplications have been invited for a special online Interpretation Competition, which everyone will be able to view on the internet. The total value of prizes is over £7,000. In consideration of the changed Competition structure we have reduced the Application Fee to £25. The application deadline was Thursday 1 April 2021. Read more…...
- Thomas Trotter awarded The Queen’s Medal
  November 28, 2020NewsThomas Trotter, President of St Albans International Organ Festival, has been awarded the 2020 Queen’s Medal for Music. The Queen’s Medal is awarded to only one person each year and was instituted in 2005. The 75mm silver medal is presented by Her Majesty to ‘an outstanding individual or group of musicians who have had a major influence on the musical life of the nation’. Thomas Trotter – Birmingham City Organist, organist of St Margaret’s, Westminster and visiting Fellow in Organ Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music – has a long association with St Albans. His reputation as an organist of international calibre was recognised when he won First Prize for Interpretation in the 1979 competition. He has since been an illustrious jury member on no fewer than five occasions, most recently at last year’s competition. St Albans music-lovers can next hear Thomas Trotter at 5.30pm on 27 February, when he will perform at the Cathedral. Entrance and programmes will be free, with a collection for the St Albans International Organ Festival. Read more The Festival will resume its Saturday Concerts on 16 January with a performance by the organisation’s Artistic Director, David Titterington. David and Thomas are both generously donating their performances as fund-raisers for the St Albans International Organ Festival, which will present its 31st Festival and Competitions in July 2021. Read more...

9 Oct 1446809810629009414

Join us at 5.30pm to hear trumpeter Crispian Steele-Perkins and organist Anne Page at @StPeterStAlbans – free admission and programme, donations welcome to support future activities https://organfestival.com/events/saturday-concert-21-10/

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6 Oct 1445663650379829252

#NowPlaying, Crispian Steele-Perkins performs trumpet concertos https://open.spotify.com/album/6lO4xwc1iYkzKSu52NEswn?si=HYoJ_vePRoet_t5F4-cwoQ&dl_branch=1 – we are looking forward to hearing Crispian with organist Anne Page at @StPeterStAlbans on Saturday https://organfestival.com/events/saturday-concert-21-10/

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3 Oct 1444693539808595976

Our Saturday Concert series continues next weekend with Crispian Steele-Perkins (trumpet) and Anne Page (organ) at @StPeterStAlbans – admission and programme are free, as always https://organfestival.com/events/saturday-concert-21-10/

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23 Sep 1441111624903917574

We are delighted that @HewittJSB, distinguished long-time friend of the Festival, has agreed to become a Patron of the St Albans International Organ Festival. https://organfestival.com/2021/09/23/welcome-to-our-new-patron-angela-hewitt/

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16 Sep 1438570956889468931

Join us at 5.30pm on Saturday in @StAlbansCath!

Darius Battiwalla@DariusBat

Really looking forward to the recital at St Albans @Organ_Festival on Saturday! I'm finishing with Widor's 6th Symphony, and starting with Fela Sowande's setting of Go Down, Moses - here's the final section as a taster:

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International Organ Festival Society