Westminster brings Organ+ Festival 2025 to a close with Christmas carols celebration

From 30 October to 10 December, the Organ+ Festival 2025 ran a series of concerts celebrating the two Compton organs that reside at the University. With the help of students, colleagues and the local community, each event placed the organ in dialogue with other art forms, from instruments and voice to dance, film and spoken word.

Professor Andrew Linn, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University and curator of the event’s music programme, accompanied the evening on the organ alongside Professor Shirley Thompson OBE, multi-award-winning composer and Head of the Music Research Group at the School of Arts, who joined him on the violin. The programme featured nine choral pieces which were sung by a chamber choir, with the audience joining for selected sing-along carols. The choir was assembled specifically for this event and included Westminster colleagues, students from London conservatoires and members of the wider community.

Held on 10 December, the festive celebration began with an opening carol, Once in Royal David’s City, which was followed by a welcome speech and opening prayer by Reverend Dr Matthew Linfoot, Priest in the Church of England and Curate at All Saints, Tooting. Later, Valeria Perboni, Creative Projects Coordinator at the University, singer, actress and musical theatre performer, entertained the audience by singing the classical aria named Ave Maria by Charles Gounod and Johann Sebastian Bach.

Dr Lucy Ann Harrison, Assistant Head of the School of Arts (Head of Music), performed What If It Were Today?, a poem by Liz Crumlish that reimagines the Nativity in the context of modern injustice, oppression and conflict, affirming the urgent need for love and hope in today’s world. 

Attendees also saw a solo performance of Joni Mitchell's River, performed by Essex-born singer-songwriter and Senior Lecturer in the School of Arts Leddra Chapman, accompanied by pianist Joe Davison.

The evening concluded with a final carol, Hark the Herald, followed by a performance of Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride on the organ, and a relaxed networking session over refreshments, including mulled wine and mince pies.

The autumn series is part of the University’s Quintin Hogg Trust-funded Live Performance Project led by Dr Harrison. The project is designed to enrich the student experience through active participation in cultural programming and collaboration with leading artists, organisations and the local community.

Professor Andrew Linn said: “We have the rare luxury of having not one, but two pipe organs on our Regent Campus – a cinema organ in the Regent Street Cinema and the wonderful classical instrument in Fyvie Hall, restored to life in 2022. The pipe organ has attracted significant attention recently via the Royal College of Organists (RCO) Play the Organ Year 2025 as well as increased interest in some of the world-class instruments in locations like the Royal Albert Hall. At Westminster, we prioritise wellbeing and inclusion. Taking part in and listening to music is a surefire way of enhancing wellbeing and we want more people to enjoy playing and benefiting from this amazing resource on our Campus.”

Dr Harrison added: “We believe that the organ is an instrument for everyone and each event has been designed to welcome new audiences and provide exciting and challenging repertoire for those who’ve joined us at organ concerts before.”

The Organ+ Festival directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3: Good Health and Wellbeing and 10: Reducing Inequalities. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.

Learn more about the Organ+ Festival 2025.

Find out about Music courses at the University of Westminster.