{"id":66338,"date":"2025-05-23T13:35:28","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T13:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shefnews.co.uk\/?p=66338"},"modified":"2025-05-23T13:53:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T13:53:31","slug":"south-yorkshire-organ-festival-shines-light-on-the-organ-at-sheffield-recital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shefnews.co.uk\/index.php\/2025\/05\/23\/south-yorkshire-organ-festival-shines-light-on-the-organ-at-sheffield-recital\/","title":{"rendered":"South Yorkshire Organ Festival shines light on the organ at Sheffield recital"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The South Yorkshire Organ Festival, running from Saturday 17 May to Sunday 25 May, invites visitors of all ages to discover the organ in a range of historic venues across the region.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now in its second year, the festival celebrates the unique instrument and aims to make it more accessible to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the festival, Sheffield Cathedral hosted ‘An Introduction to the Organ’ on Wednesday 21 May. The recital was led by Cathedral Organist James Mitchell. The event gave attendees a glimpse into the organ\u2019s rich history, wide-ranging and expressive sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mr Mitchell said: \u201c<\/em>The goal of this festival is to provide a way in to people. To learn about it, to have a go and to just generally appreciate it. It\u2019s just really about promoting the organ for anybody and everybody and providing a basis for people to learn and hopefully enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recital, which was part of the festival, broke down the process of the organ and what happens during a performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Mitchell said: \u201cThis recital was my first one where I\u2019ve done a proper come and play. Most recitals you sit down and play a set of pieces, whereas this performance was much more involved and gave people more of an in-depth look at things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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James Mitchell currently serves as Cathedral Organist at Sheffield, following previous roles at Manchester and Gloucester Cathedrals. He began his musical journey as a pianist and was introduced to the organ by a school music teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Mitchell said: \u201cI just find it a really interesting instrument… there’s actually a lot of ground and a lot of things that you can explore and do differently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The festival not only showcases performances but also offers hands-on experiences. On Sunday 25 May, Sheffield Cathedral will host a drop-in session where attendees can try the organ for themselves. This will be open to all ages and abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Mitchell said: \u201cThe goal is to kind of bring the organ out to sort of the wider public, because sometimes the organ can kind of feel a bit hidden away… It\u2019s sometimes hard to find where to begin and where to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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