Organist to play at Down Cathedral during fund-raiser

Organist to play at Down Cathedral during fund-raiser

4 July 2018

IT will be a motorbike race with a difference when church organist Elise Crean dons her leathers to play at Down Cathedral later this month.

The biker aims to play an organ concert at 12 churches in a 270-mile dash around the six counties in one day.

The resident organist in First Armagh Presbyterian Church, she’s hoping to raise money towards the £70,000 required to rebuild its historic organ.

Her husband Dessie Moorcroft will be piloting her around her flying musical trip starting at Armagh’s St Patrick’s Cathedral Parish from 7am on Saturday, July 21. She intends to finish at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral at 9pm that night.

Down Cathedral will be the fourth venue on her dash and her estimated arrival time is 9.25am.

“This may be the first time a church organist has been seen in motorcycle gear and I am hoping a combination of curiosity and generosity will help generate audiences for each concert,” said Elise.

“Each stop will be exactly 30 minutes long. We have to stick very strictly to the schedule so that we can complete the round trip through each of the six counties on time.”

She will be playing a programme of favourites from across the centuries including Purcell’s Trumpet Tune, Pachelbel’s Canon in D, Elgar’s Nimrod (from Enigma Variations) and Karg-Elert’s Nun danket alle Gott. 

Each concert will also feature an organ and bagpipe duet of Highland Cathedral.

Fundraising details are available at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/firstarmaghorgan.