St Mary, St George & St Denys |
Organist:
Organist and Master of the Choristers:
Christopher Stokes (1996)
Assistant:
Matthew Owens (1996)
There are also two organ scholars: one usually from the Royal Northern College of Music (link
)and the other from the Sixth Form at Chetham's School of
Music. Organ:
Harrison and Harrison of Durham, who also rebuilt it in 1979.
4 manuals, 89 stops, 27 couplers, with the console on the Quire Screens and the pipes in Quire bays.
The present organ, which incorporates pipework of the 1934 (H&H) organ was installed between 1952 and 1957. (The 1934 organ was partially destroyed in an air raid in 1940, and was replaced by a temporary 2-manual H&H instrument in 1943.) It stands within two westerly bays of the choir aisles. The Choir and Great Organs are on the South side; the Swell and Solo on the North; the Pedal on both sides, with the Open Woods and Ophicleides in the Jesus Chapel. A new console was placed in the chancel; the old console was retained and placed in the nave.
Restoration work was carried out in 1974 and 1979, when solid-state coupler and combination actions were provided. The nave console was removed, and the chancel console rebuilt on the choir screen.
Information extracted from the organ specification leaflet, kindly supplied by Christopher Stokes.
Choir:
16 trebles (mixed boys and girls from Chetham's), 2A, 2T, 2B (with augmentation when needed).
Services:
Tue, Wed (trebles), Thu, Sat
Sunday: Eucharist (Cathedral Choir), Evensong (Voluntary Choir) (Telephone: 0161 833 2220, fax: 0161 839 6226)
Recordings:
Foxglove, Leeds (most recently, Sing Praises)
Other
Information:
The Cathedral Cantata Choir - 90 strong - performs oratorios, etc, using either Manchester Camerata, the Northern Chamber Orchestra or the Orchestra of the Golden Age.
Previous
Organists:
Archibald Wilson (1919-1943)
Norman Cocker (1943-1953)
Allan Wicks (1954-1961)
Derrick Cantrell (1962-1977)
Robert Vincent (1977-1980)
Gordon Stewart, organist (1981-1996?); Stuart Beer, master of the choir (1980-1996?)
