Diocesan Organs
The Diocese has a number of notable organs, several of which our choristers and keyboard pupils can regularly use:
The Klais Organ, Leeds Cathedral
The original organ was manufactured by one of the most eminent English organ builders, Norman and Beard, and was built specifically for the Cathedral in 1904. Following a period of silence of around 30 years, Johannes Klais Orgelbau were chosen to reconstruct and enlarge the instrument to serve the requirements of the restored cathedral and new position of the choir. The organ was built in the workshops of Klais in Bonn, and transported to the Cathedral in July 2009 to complete the work in situ over a six month period. The project was under the supervision of Benjamin Saunders and David Sanger.
The tonal style is English Edwardian, and so all the historic 1904 pipework has been carefully restored on its original chests, with new pipework matching the original materials and construction methods. The organ now has seven divisions, controlled from a four manual console with 78 stops, and features a unique new system of allocating manual departments to keyboards.The inaugural concert was given on 16th May 2010 at 3pm by Benjamin Saunders.
• The Klais website has an article on the Cathedral organ here.
• There is a colour magazine feature here.
(© 2010 Organists Review)
• A printable copy of the specification and description of the organs can be found here.
• Details of the Leeds International Organ Festival, featuring guest artists playing the Klais organ, can be found here.
The Hopkins Organ, St Joseph’s Church, Bradford
The Bradford Boys’ Choir are the choir in residence at St Joseph’s Church in Bradford. The church organ was manufactured in the late 19th century by Hopkins & Son of York. It is widely regarded as the finest organ in the city centre, benefiting from mechanical key action and a superb case from an earlier Anneessens instrument.
National Pipe Organ Register Entry
The Skrabl Organ, St Patrick’s Church, Huddersfield
St Patrick’s Church is home to the Huddersfield Boys’ and Huddersfield Girls’ Choirs. The new organ, regarded as one of the finest classical instruments in Britain, was built in the workshops of Anton Skrabl in Slovenia and is located in the west end gallery. The stop and key action is entirely mechanical, the case of oak, and keys and inlay of bone and ebony. The project was completed under the supervision of Benjamin Saunders and John Rowntree. The inaugural concert was given on the 1st December 2009 by Benjamin Saunders.
• A souvenir brochure can be downloaded here.
National Pipe Organ Register Entry
The Forster & Andrews Organ, St Anthony’s Church, Beeston
The organ was originally built for Borthwick Church, Midlothian in 1893 by the renowned Hull firm of organ-builders, Forster and Andrews. Replacing a poor-quality electronic instrument, the organ was installed in the West Gallery by David Wood of Huddersfield in 2020. The organ fits well with the church’s neo-Gothic style, its pipes being beautifully painted and gilded in the manner of that period.