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Organist's CD released to fund overhaul

An Inverbervie piano teacher is pulling out the stops to help raise £12,500 to restore and maintain the Dunnottar Church organ. Catherine Walker, who became the church organist a year ago, has recorded a CD featuring her own original piano compositions and traditional music played on the clarsach.

The need for a big overhaul of the instrument was discovered when it was taken out of wraps after several months of enforced silence while the recent New Century Project building work was underway.

"When the organ builder who maintained the organ took off the packing and the cladding and started playing it again, he gave the church an estimate for £12,500," said Miss Walker. "That's why many churches don't have pipe organs. They are quite costly to maintain."

She added: "It can be played at the moment and sounds fine, but the G on the middle 'great manual' keyboard sticks. It is pretty difficult to avoid tunes with that note. And I was playing something for a bride and groom and the trumpet stop was siphoning, giving a trumpet sound that couldn't be stopped. It didn't happen at the wedding, but it did make me feel a bit anxious."

Copies of the CD, priced £6, can be purchased direct from Miss Walker or from William Beatties of Inverbervie.

Full story at the Mearns Leader.