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PLAYLIST - Young Organists on YouTube - Teens and Preteens

branchporter

New member
After coming across a young boy who was doing a great job of playing organ, I set about finding others. My playlist "Young Organists" now includes performances by more than 110 teens and preteens whose playing ranges from good to excellent. Some have the potential of becoming world class organists.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE3FAEF5B472FACBA

For some reason, it is mostly boys who have organ videos on YouTube. There are very few girls. Can anyone explain this?
 

cjvinthechair

New member
After coming across a young boy who was doing a great job of playing organ, I set about finding others. My playlist "Young Organists" now includes performances by more than 110 teens and preteens whose playing ranges from good to excellent. Some have the potential of becoming world class organists.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE3FAEF5B472FACBA

For some reason, it is mostly boys who have organ videos on YouTube. There are very few girls. Can anyone explain this?

Hey, that's a fun list - bit long to struggle through all of it, though. Any 'steers' to exceptional performances welcome !
Thanks.
 

pb05

New member
For some reason, it is mostly boys who have organ videos on YouTube. There are very few girls. Can anyone explain this?
The organ has a pedal board; way too complex (girls are easily intimidated) or difficult for them to reach (generally shorter than boys). The pedal alone is often a "deal breaker" for girls.

In the organ class I am attending, I have seen a number of women. Only the highly trained ones in piano playing, before starting the organ, did well with the pedals. This year we have such a case (already highly trained in the keyboards). She is doing very well with the pedals but I see she is struggling to reach the far notes because of her short stature. It will be difficult for her to play a piece using two octaves in the pedal board because she needs to move on the bench to reach them, something to avoid at all cost while playing the organ.

Other reasons could be the perception of the instrument. You know, church, religious affairs, size, etc.
 
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branchporter

New member
Hey, that's a fun list - bit long to struggle through all of it, though. Any 'steers' to exceptional performances welcome !
Thanks.

There are so many good ones! These come to mind.

Gert van Hoof, the first on the list already has a world wide following. He has begun studies at The Royal Conservatory of Music, The Hague, Netherlands. He has 190 videos! Here is his latest video which has snippets of what he will play at a concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmI5b87OXgk
His improvisations are amazing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N07M0Rne1xk

Karen Electra Christianson, 10 at the time, is fantastic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BQtsTQCH_Y

Rees Roberts is now at Oberlin Music Conservatory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGgH65rtvbI

This English chap, Lawrence Thain went on to be Assistant Organist/Organ Scholar at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu8SLBGmvjA
His channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/LawrenceThainFRCO

It's fun to guess if little Rory Lipkis will slip off the bench! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUNgseXjbvU

This video by Minh Nguyen got me started looking for others: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjU2uMh_-M0
 
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wljmrbill

Member
Rory sure plays the toccata well.. better then others 3 times his age. Of course Gert still one of my favorites
 

Nikam

New member
Rory's steady calm confidence and ability is amazing. Wonder how he has progressed in the years since the recording.
 
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branchporter

New member
Rory's steady calm confidence and ability is amazing. Wonder how he has progressed in the years since the recording.

I found this from a year ago - " Sixteen-year-old Rory Lipkis , the son of Moravian College music professor Larry Lipkis, will be featured on organ in Alfred Reed's "Alleluia! Laudamus Te" and Widor's "Organ Symphony No. 5."
 

Krummhorn

Administrator
Staff member
ADMINISTRATOR
This is so exciting to see happening ... I have oft pondered who will fill my position when I retire at the church. At present, there is no one who is remotely interested nor skilled enough to take over.

When I was their ages, I delighted at the prospect of playing in churches ... and have done so now for 53+ years. I still enjoy it today as much as I did when I was 13.

Kh ♫
 

branchporter

New member
This is so exciting to see happening ... I have oft pondered who will fill my position when I retire at the church. At present, there is no one who is remotely interested nor skilled enough to take over.

When I was their ages, I delighted at the prospect of playing in churches ... and have done so now for 53+ years. I still enjoy it today as much as I did when I was 13.

Kh ♫

What a great record of service, Krummhorn! Many on my playlist are organists at their church, and I have other young Facebook friends who are church organists. I wish there were more who would follow that path

From my list above, just a couple of years after taking up playing, Gert van Hoef started playing at his church, and at other churches on special occasions. Many of his YouTube videos are of his distinctively Dutch church playing, with extensive improvisation.

Another one, Rees Roberts was busy during his senior year at high school. Each Sunday he played at two Little Rock Methodist churches - one predominately black, the other white. He also directed the choir at one of those churches, and often played a third service as substitute at the Episcopal Cathedral. (His tweet: "Three services the day after Prom night. I can do this. I can do this.") Now at Oberlin Conservatory, he is assistant organist at a nearby church. For some reason, Rees has made his videos "semi private" (not listed), but this playlist has a few from when he was 14 or 15:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8Svq8PmThX5soZVSei8R1TGVJxMsuDSX
 
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