THE director of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM), Hugh Morris, has completed a 25-hour organ marathon to “raise the profile” of the instrument and to raise funds for Play the Organ Year.
Mr Morris, accompanied occasionally by fellow organists and choirs, began the “25 hours in 2025” at 5 p.m. on 21 November, and completed the challenge at 8 p.m. the next day. He said that he was fuelled by tea, coffee, and “quite a lot of biscuits”.
His performance at the Viscount Organs studio in Bicester, Oxfordshire, was streamed live on the RSCM YouTube channel, and can still be watched online.
The marathon comprised a continuous performance of hymns, which were “primarily chosen at random”, and music from local choirs and guest organists, who also spoke about the organ.
“It was an experience lived in the moment,” Mr Morris said. “I cannot now recall what pieces I did or didn’t play, nor which of the dozens of hymns I played.”
In a statement, the RSCM said that the “endurance challenge” sought to promote learning and playing the organ, as the instrument played a “vital role in supporting worship and communities”. The Play the Organ Year campaign represents this mission.
The statement continued: “Churches report difficulty in finding people to play the instruments that we have to support worship. . . A large focus of our current work is in empowering music leadership and developing young people.”
Mr Morris said: “They are the future, and helping them engage with, and then grow and develop through, church music, is a big part of what kept me going.”
The organ marathon included part of this year’s Director’s Challenge — “Hands on with Handel” — in which organists of any standard around the world were invited to play the Largo “Ombra mai fu” from Handel’s oratorio Xerxes, alongside Mr Morris on St Cecilia’s Day, 22 November (News, 24 October).
Seventy-six organists have reported their performance. A map showing participants’ locations is published on the RSCM website.
rscm.org.uk/the-directors-challenge-he-did-it