It was good to meet other organists; we tend to get quite wrapped up in our own work, being all busy at around the same times on Sunday mornings, and if I didn't go out of my way to speak to some in other parishes I could easily not meet any at all.
The programme included talks and mini-recitals as well as a buffet. I didn't attend the entire afternoon, but the talks about the organ in the church, and about the Small Choirs website were interesting and informative.
I was sorry to miss some of the playing, but the standard of what I did hear was superb. The organists were on a video camera with the footage projected on two screens in the front of the church -- one of the few times I've seen projector screens used suitably inside a church ;) -- which meant that I could see their technique for myself. It was interesting seeing the difference between Cherry-Willow Pauls's very fluid, rounded movements and David Aprahamian Liddle's absolute economy of movement. It's rare that I meet an organist in their natural habitat and even rarer that I get to watch them carefully while they play, so this was an excellent opportunity for me.
I do hope there will be another one!
