Our Patrons: The Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham, The Bishop of Nottingham, Sir David Lumsden MA DPhil MusB
To JOIN please email our Secretary Denis Littleton at ndsosecretary@gmail.com
Welcome to the website of the Nottingham & District Society of Organists (NDSO)
Watch our video about the society by clicking the link below:
Explore our website to discover a wealth of fascinating content related to the organ. Click here for details of our all exciting society events and recital/concert lists. The Events Page also includes links to videos of previous events on Zoom, please enjoy! Or you can see the videos of recent virtual events directly here.
A Warm Welcome From Our President
Dear Organist/Music lover,
On behalf of the Nottingham & District Society of Organists (NDSO) I extend a very warm welcome to you. We are a diverse group of around 100 individuals, united by our enthusiasm for the ‘King of Instruments’ and its music. Our society has been around since 1932 and we are very much alive and active in 2023! The benefits of membership include regular events throughout the year, typically one per month, and a subscription to our glossy magazine which you will receive three times a year.
Events take many forms, both online and in person:
- Visits to organs in the local area – to listen to or play.
- Visits to organs further afield – around the UK or even abroad.
- Workshops on organ related subjects – its music, composers, or playing
techniques. - Charity fund raising events.
- Member recitals – volunteers perform for other members.
- An annual lunch at a local restaurant for members and their guests, with a
distinguished guest speaker. - Occasional non-organ social gatherings – visits to local places of interest.
We enjoy meeting likeminded people who share advice and encouragement on organ related matters. We appreciate the opportunity to develop our skills both by listening to others and by playing ourselves in a supportive environment. The Society gives us access to a wide range of instruments, ranging from small home installations to major cathedral organs and we encourage players of all abilities to get involved.
Our glossy newsletter ‘Soundboard’ will keep you in touch. It is packed with articles of interest, including reviews of recent events and details of future meetings and recitals. You can find back issues of Soundboard and other useful information here. Whether you are a professional organist/recitalist, church musician, student, home player, keen amateur, or simply someone who just enjoys hearing the organ and its music, we are very keen to have you join us. Take a look at our recent video, to see more of what we do.
To take advantage of free membership until 30 June 2024 just email our Secretary, Denis, at ndsosecretary@gmail.com to express your interest in joining us. If you don’t want to commit to membership just yet you can join us as our guest at any event, and experience our activities first hand. Denis will be delighted to provide you with further details. I am sure you will enjoy it!
Kind regards, and we hope to see you soon!
REG AITKEN
PRESIDENT
NOTTINGHAM & DISTRICT SOCIETY OF ORGANISTS
Try Us Out?
If you’re curious about our society and would like to attend an event to see if it’s the right fit for you, please contact us. We can arrange for you to join us as a guest, providing us with the chance to demonstrate that we’re a welcoming group with plenty to offer!
Join Us
We’d love you to join us! – our annual subscription is only around £25 and we are open to all equally. To join the Society please email our Treasurer David Hanford Email: treasurer@nottsorganists.org.uk or our Hon. Secretary Denis Littleton Email: secretary@nottsorganists.org.uk
We extend an open invitation to anyone interested in the pipe organ to join our society, whether you’re a professional player, amateur musician, or simply a lover of organ music.
As a vibrant and active society, we organise a wide range of engaging activities, including visits to explore and play various organs, from grand cathedral instruments to small house organs, both pipe and electronic. We also host virtual events that you can attend from the comfort of your own home.
Our calendar includes educational lectures, talks, recitals, workshops, masterclasses, organ builder visits, organ crawls, and social gatherings.
Membership in our society provides the opportunity to connect with fellow enthusiasts who share a passion for the pipe organ. Members can also access resources for deputy organists, organ teaching, advice, and information about organist appointment opportunities.
We produce a termly newsletter called “Soundboard,” packed with fascinating insights into all things organ-related, event reviews, and informative articles. You can access recent issues through our website menu.
Established in 1932, our Society remains one of the most active and successful Organ Societies in the UK. Join us and become part of our rich tradition of celebrating the pipe organ!
A.G.M. News
Our 2023 AGM took place where new Officers were elected to include our new President for 2023/24 Reg Aitken. Reg took us through the events he has planned for the society in 2023/24 and a round of applause was given for the work of our now Past President Richard Marsden who with his hard work and determination gave us a wonderful period of events. Here is the moment Richard handed the Presidency over to Reg at Bramcote Church.
N.D.S.O. Promotional Video – take a look at what we’ve been up to:
A Warm Welcome to Our New Members!
The Society has recently been working hard to promote to encourage new membership in 2021 and we are thrilled and pleased to warmly welcome the following new members who have all take up our introductory offer, these include Directors of Music, Organists, Choral Conductors, Church Musicians, Organ Students and Organ Fans:
Ascend Jiang, Chris Ebbern, Stephen Bullamore, Tony Brown, Kevin Calladine, Thomas Gibson, Carolyn Simmonds, Robert Taylor, Gregory Treolar, Elliott Walker and Dorothy Thompson.
We have challenged ourselves to go further so please do spread the word!
Young Organists Bursary Scheme
We are pleased to currently be supporting two young organists in our bursary scheme, one locally in Nottingham and the other at Rotherham Minster both being taught by excellent teachers of the organ. If you know of a youngster below the age of 18 that is interested in taking up lessons or progressing lessons on the pipe organ and requires financial assistance for lessons, music, exams, etc then please do look at our Bursary Scheme page for more info. We’d be pleased to hear from you in order to consider any applications.
N.D.S.O. Ties – Get Yours Now!
Only a few Society ties remain available from David Butterworth at the very reasonable price of £5.00 each. They come in striking Blue or Burgundy and feature our logo. This is a tie that you can wear with pride to any NDSO event or indeed a concert to indicate to everyone that you are a valued member of our wonderful Society. Get one before they are all sold out!
Changes to this website
This website is managed by Ian Watts (ianctms@gmail.com), please email Ian to request changes to the site.
The NDSO has a Facebook page that you can join to track local news from the society, please click the blue ‘f’ sign below and on the bottom of any of the pages of this website to take you to our Facebook page and please do give us a thumbs up or like our page to join.
