Mark Jones, who hails from the neighbouring parish of Aughton Christ Church, has recently gained the Associateship of the North & Midlands School of Music (ANMSM) in Organ Performance. Mark is a pupil of Dr Colin Porter, who regularly plays the organ at Ormskirk Parish Church for funerals and who travels to Ormskirk Parish Church to teach him.

Mark tells us:

“I recently became a member of North and Midlands School of Music. A few days after my fourteenth birthday, I sat the Associate Diploma in Organ Performance, at Ormskirk Parish Church in Lancashire. I was quite nervous, as this was my first organ exam. Chris Pilsbury, the Academic Registrar, tried to put me at ease and talked me through the assessment process.

The church was very cold and I had to warm my hands with hand warmers in between playing my pieces of music. At the end Chris discussed the music with me and told me that I had passed. I later received an encouraging report from him.

I wouldn’t have achieved this without Dr Colin Porter (Chairman, NMSM). I started organ lessons with Colin when I was eight years old, as an organ student with a bursary from the Lythgoe Fund of the Liverpool Organists’ Association. I couldn’t reach the pedals then. I’ve grown a bit now. Colin has been a great encouragement to me and an amazing teacher.

I hope to do the Licentiate Diploma in the future.”

The assessment took the form of a recital at an appropriate level of difficulty. Mark’s programme included the following pieces, with a short viva voce with the examiner at the end:

• March of the Priests (from ‘The Enchanted Flute’) – W A Mozart, arr. Dr CWP
• Prelude in D from ‘L’Organiste Moderne‘ – L J A Lefebure-Wely
• Tuba Tune – C S Lang
• Air & Gavotte – S. Wesley
• Prelude & Fugue in E Minor (_{BWV 533}) – J S Bach
• Andante – T Mee Pattison
• Allegro – T Mee Pattison

I am hoping that Mark will be able to perform a recital at the church at some point in the future.

Mark recorded his performance, which is available on YouTube at: