Oundle International Festival (OIF) is an annual community arts festival and organ school (ages 14 to 24) held in

Oundle Oundle () is a market town on the left bank of the River Nene in North Northamptonshire, England, which had a population of 5,735 at the time of the 2011 census. It is north of London and south-west of Peterborough. The town is home to Ound ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The festival was founded in 1985 with the training of young

organists An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational ...

as its core component and has a festival programme for the general public. The summer schools are centred around a organ, built by Frobenius and installed in

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City ...

Chapel. Every July OIF runs workshops from an international team of organists, for up to 60 young organists.

History

The Festival and Summer School at inception were part of, and supported by,

, but since 1995 OIF has been an independent company limited by guarantee, and a registered charity operating under the name

Oundle Music Trust Oundle () is a market town on the left bank of the River Nene in North Northamptonshire, England, which had a population of 5,735 at the time of the 2011 census. It is north of London and south-west of Peterborough. The town is home to Oundl ...

. It has a Management Committee of eight, which meets three times a year.

Festival

The festival committee promotes three activities: * Oundle for Organists – a year round training movement, promoting access to the organ, and supporting young organists (beginner to university level) in their musical development. * Oundle International Festival – a professional music festival held each July in Oundle and the surrounding area, attracting a growing audience from the local community, and further afield. The programme includes jazz, folk and world music alongside classical repertoire, and related programming in other art forms. * Oundle Music Trust Community & Education Programme – programme of concerts (including Music in Quiet Places), workshops and projects in the Oundle area, which aims to extend access to, and enjoyment of, music through participation. Since 1994, a fundraising jazz & firework concert has been held on

playing fields, which has become the highlight of the year in the small market town of

, attracting an audience of up to 5,000 from across the Midlands. In 2007, the Festival undertook a community opera for the first time, with three performances of Tobias and the Angel by Jonathan Dove. It was very successful, with three choruses of local people (one comprising around 40 local primary schoolchildren), celebrated professional opera singers and a small orchestra of professional musicians. The performances took place in St Peter's parish church.

Education for young organists

Since July 2002, the Prospective Organ Scholars course has been separated from the main summer school in

and now takes place in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

and

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in alternate years. The students are accommodated in an Oxbridge College, and thus are given a real boost prior to their all-important organ scholarship examinations in September. They are required to direct, sing, and accompany three Evensongs in different college chapels, with Compline on two evenings. Mornings and late evening are taken up with organ tuition and practice, with full access being given to college organs in

and

References

External links

Official site
{{coord, 52.4821, -0.4691, display=title} Music festivals established in 1985 Classical music festivals in England Pipe organ festivals Music festivals in Northamptonshire Oundle 1985 establishments in England