THIS huge Father Willis organ in Salisbury Cathedral looks extremely daunting, and yet 27 young people between the ages of 11 and 18 had the opportunity to see what they could do on it on the Cathedral’s free “Pipe up!” day, under the tutelage of the two cathedral organists.

It was the first such event, and the response was amazing, says Sarah Flanagan of the Cathedral staff. The aspiring organists all had to be at least Grade 2 on the piano, and ranged from that standard up to Grade 8 on the organ. More than one of the older teenagers played regularly in their parish churches. Their families were able to sit in the nave to see and hear what was going on in the organ loft by means of a video-screen and microphones.

The day began with a demonstration of what the organ could do, and the sounds it could make, until it thrilled the cathedral with its huge noise. But that had to be kept short because so many children and teenagers had come from across southern England, including Surrey, Dorchester, Windsor, Bournemouth, and Winchester, and needed to have their turn.

The feedback has been full of enthusiasm about the “unbelievable opportunity to play on a Father Willis organ”, and David Hall, the Director of Music, and Daniel Cook, the Cathedral’s organist, are both keen not to let that enthusiasm go cold. But they are not sure what to do next, and decisions have yet to be made how to encourage what could be a new generation of organists. Meanwhile, Sarah Flanagan tells me, members of one family were so impressed by the whole event that they signed up as Friends of the Cathedral.