Hugh Morris, director of the Salisbury-based music education charity, the Royal School of Church Music Picture: RSCM

Salisbury charity director to undertake 25-hour organ marathon

Tait ap EllisSeptember 4, 20250 Comment0

A DIRECTOR of a Salisbury-based music charity will soon take part in a 25-hour organ marathon to help fundraising efforts.

Hugh Morris of the music education charity, the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM), set himself the challenge to raise some much-need funds for the charity, as well as to highlight the organ’s vital role in supporting worship and communities.

The ’25 hours in 2025′ challenge will take place on November 21 to 22 in the studio of Viscount Organs in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

It will service as a catalyst for significant fundraising efforts to support the RSCM’s ongoing mission to enable the flourishing of church music.

Hugh is encouraging people to sponsor him to help the charity flourish.

He said: “I like all sorts of church music, but I remain a practising organist. So I wanted to do something to bring Play the Organ Year to life.

“There is a great shortage of people coming forward to play the organs which are in our churches across the country – and indeed, worldwide.

“So, I wanted to do something to raise the profile of the organ on RSCM’s behalf. I invite people to sponsor me to do keep on playing, with the money going to further our rapidly growing work with young people.“

The organ marathon will begin at 5pm on November 21, and will end at 6pm on November 22, St Cecilia’s Day.

The core of the event will be a continuous performance of hymns, primarily chosen at random from Hymns Ancient & Modern ‘Refreshing Worship’.

In addition, each hour on the hour, Hugh Morris will play one ‘real’ organ piece, and guest performers will join Hugh during the event, both to perform and to talk about playing the organ.

During the course of the event, audience can donate to request a specific hymn, and local choirs will join Hugh to sing some of the hymns. The entire event will be streamed live on the RSCM YouTube channel.

Alongside Hugh’s organ challenge, a special highlight will take place on the Saturday (St Cecilia’s Day) at 2pm, when organists worldwide are invited to join Hugh Morris in a ‘mass play along’ of the Largo from Handel’s Xerxes (Ombra mai fu).

The aim of this initiative is to encourage churches to host ‘open console’ sessions, introducing more people to the organ, and to inspire people around the world, whether amateur or professional, beginner or advanced, to play the organ.

The music for this segment is available in easy, intermediate, and full arrangements from the RSCM website, with additional free resources like session plans and practice tips coming soon.

The RSCM invites individuals, churches, and organisations to support Hugh Morris’s challenge through sponsorship and donations.

Organists are particularly encouraged to ‘Join In’ by participating in the mass play-along and by organising local ‘open console’ events to mark this unique occasion.