Organ concert to feature Wersi expert Claire Greig

Woodhall Spa Organ Society's November Music for Woodhall concert will feature one of the few female performers on the electronic organ, Claire Greig, from Derby.

She says: "I didn't show any interest in music until at the age of five, my parents took me to Pontins' Middleton Towers on holiday.

"This coincided with the A.O.E National Organ Festival week. During this time I met and made new friends and along with a number of other children received free organ lessons. This lit the spark and I returned home full of enthusiasm to learn the organ."

The local music school was contacted and over the next three years Claire moved quickly through the grades and by the time she was eight years old had passed Grade 5, when she enrolled with a very good local professional organist.

"About the same time the organ was changed to a Wersi Beta with a full set of drawbars and programmable rhythm unit. This enabled me to play lots of different types of music and I started to learn to program rhythms to fit the various pieces of music.," said Claire.

"It also became clear that I had perfect pitch much to the amusement of the music examiners."

Higher organ grades followed and she was entered for and passed the Associate Diploma (with Hons) at the age of eleven, followed by the Licentiate Diploma and the Fellowship Diploma which she passed with Honours at the age of sixteen.

She also has Grade 5 Flute and Grade 8 Piano. During these years Claire had played at the local organ society and was involved in a number of charity concerts.

"The annual visits to the National Organ Festival had continued," she said, "from which I had gained much experience and support over the years. This finally resulted in my first festival booking at the age of seventeen."

In 2001 she studied for her A-levels and then on to a degree in Popular Music Production and Sports Studies in Derby.

Most of her time is spent teaching music around Derbyshire, offering piano, keyboard, organ, flute and music theory lessons.

"I also offer support for Wersi enthusiasts, and am one of the official Wersi engineers!" she said.

Her concerts are now being performed on the Wersi OAX-1 duo.

Her November 6 concert starts at 7.30pm in Coronation Hall, Spa Road, Woodhall Spa, LN10 6PZ.

Admission to non members is £8. If you join the Society, membership costs £8 per annum and admission is £6. If you have any queries phone Philip Groves, on 07419 998158, email [email protected] or just visit www.woodhallspa-organ.co.uk.