Organ scholar support at Oxford University – the role of the Betts Centre for Organ Studies

Despite a gap of over 50 years I can still remember quite vividly my initial days at the University of Southampton preparing to read for a degree in chemistry. Nothing prepares you for the mix of exhilaration at the start of the rest of your life and the bewilderment of not understanding what is expected of you. Fortunately, I joined a local church choir within a few days of arriving at the university and this was crucial to coping with the personal and academic requirements of university life.

Quite serendipitously I recently came across the Betts Centre for Organ Studies at the University of Oxford. The focus of this Centre is to provide support for organ scholars that is independent of the colleges whilst also working closely with them.

For organ scholars, especially those gaining places at Oxford and Cambridge Universities, there are the twin challenges of not only the expectations of your academic department but also the expectations of the Director of Music for the college chapel. Even if you are reading for a degree in music (not essential by any means) the links between the colleges and the department tend to be somewhat arms-length.

The Centre is named after John Betts, an amateur organ-builder and player, who maintained several instruments in and around Oxford. He particularly loved the traditional Anglican ‘Cathedral Style’ service. He was a teacher at Gosford Hill School, Kidlington, Oxfordshire and an active member of the Oxford and District Organists Association for many years. Following the death of his wife a portion of his estate was given to the University of Oxford, Faculty of Music, to form the John Betts Foundation.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Katie Pardee who is the Betts Fellow of Organ Studies in the Music Faculty, and the Lecturer in Music at Corpus Christi College. She recently retired from being the Director of Chapel Music at Wadham College for the last 20 years.  Katie is able to call on other Oxford organists to support the Centre with mentoring, workshops and organ tours. There is an especially close relationship with New College, as Edward Higginbottom (Director of Music 1976-2014) played an active role in the work of the Centre and that relationship has been continued with Robert Quinney, the current Director of Music at New College.

Another element of student support is access to the The John Wellingham Organ Studies Library.  This is housed at Jesus College and has a very good collection of music and also the literature on the history, theory, and technique of organ music. Housed in Jesus College, it is available to all organ scholars, with the idea that students can take volumes of music to try out on the fine Drake organ in Jesus Chapel. What a great idea!

For the wider organ community, on the web site there is an excellent directory of organs in Oxford University which also provides information on the extent of services (usually Evensong) during the week together with the specification of the organ.

During lock-down Katie made an excellent video for the Royal College of Organists in which she interviews a number of organ scholars about their experience at Oxford and their musical aspirations.

The overall aim of the Betts Centre is to create a community of organ scholars that can share experience and expertise and take advantage of mentoring and field trips that benefit both themselves and the college they are working in. As far as I am aware there is no similar support team at Cambridge, nor is there a directory of chapel organs. Katie also makes some interesting observations on the differences between US and UK organ musicianship in a feature for the Society of Women Organists.

Katie was the inaugural Fellow in 2001 and is stepping down at the end of this academic year. She will be a very hard act to follow. It would be difficult to conceive of a more interesting and worthwhile position in the University, encouraging young organists to make the most of their potential as either professional or amateur musicians.