FutureStops

Follow FutureStops
Share on
Copy link to clipboard

The organ is one of the most powerful, complex and transformative instruments in the world. Join us as we hear from musicians, composers and enthusiasts about how they are building a more accessible, experimental and collaborative organ future.

The Royal Canadian College of Organists


    • Jun 14, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 32m AVG DURATION
    • 37 EPISODES


    Search for episodes from FutureStops with a specific topic:

    Latest episodes from FutureStops

    Ep.36 - FutureStops Festival!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2022 36:45


    In the final episode of Season 2 (time flies!), we share clips of 5 artists who will be performing at the 2022 FutureStops Festival in September.    Don't forget to check out our Patreon @ www.patreon.com/futurestops

    Ep.35 - Kit Downes: Treading the Path

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2022 32:15


    In our pen-ultimate episode of Season 2, Blake sits down with Kit Downes, a phenomenal composer, pianist and organ player, as well as ECM records recording artist, and winner of a BBC Jazz award. His website: https://www.kitdownes.com/ Also, don't forget to check out our Patreon @ www.patreon.com/futurestops

    Ep.34 - The Legend, Hampus Lindwall

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2022 27:58


    In this episode, Blake sits down with Hampus Lindwall, the organist at Église-du-Saint Esprit in Paris. Known as an improviser, performer, and emerging techno artist, Lindwall is well versed on the Pipe Organ of new and old. Hear about his journey through music and religion!  His website is http://www.hampuslindwall.com/ Also, don't forget to check out our Patreon @ www.patreon.com/futurestops

    Ep.33 - Organ Plus: Beyond Enclosures, the Zadar Sea Organ and the Auerglass

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2022 35:59


    In Episode 33, we speak with 3 different guests. First, we speak with Robert Curgenven about his project Beyond Enclosures. Then Tea Kulas comes on to discuss the Zadar Sea Organ and her organ festival. Finally we wrap up with Tauba Auerbach and Cameron Mesirow on their project: the Auerglass.   Beyond Enclosures: https://robertcurgenven.bandcamp.com/album/beyond-enclosures-3-album-set the Zadar Sea Organ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n86pF-wQKrw   Don't forget to check out our patreon at www.patreon.com/futurestops 

    Ep.32 - GMEEOORH, Iannis Xenakis (1974)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2022 30:47


    In this episode, we discuss the music of the late Iannis Xenakis, a widely performed 20th century composer who's 100th birthday was just celebrated in Paris with an exhibition and multiple concerts. Xenakis, whose experimental use of mathematics and architecture in composing music anticipated so much of the 21st century and whose musical scores can be baffling to even the most seasoned interpreter wrote a work for pipe organ that still to this day, stretches the capabilities of the performer and the organ itself. We first sit down with organist Suanne Kujala was chosen to perform this work at the recent celebrations in Paris. This notoriously difficult piece by Xenakis continues to challenge countless performers around the world since its publication in 1974. Our second guest, Eun-Joo Ju is an organist at Presbyterian Home, and Kenilworth Union Church in Illinois; her keen interest in this work, led to her choosing it as the subject for her thesis studies     You can check out our patreon at www.patreon.com/futurestops 

    Ep.31 - Orgues Letourneau, the 3rd installment of our Organ Building Series

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2022 25:56


    For episode three of our Canadian Organ Builders series, we visit the workshop of Orgues Letourneau. The Orgues Letourneau workshop is a pipe organ factory housed in a former water treatment plant in sleepy Ste.-Hyacunthe, Quebec. Fernand Letourneau started the company in 1979 by building a six-rank pipe organ in his basement, and from those humble beginnings the company has built an international reputation for their distinctive sound and artistry. We speak with Andrew Forrest, who is the Vice President and Artistic Director at Letourneau and plays a key role in the balancing act between old world tradition and new world technology. 

    Ep 30. - Hermann Nitsch: Master of the Mystical Realm

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2022 36:38


    Hermann Nitsch is an Austrian avant-garde artist who works in experimental and multimedia modes. We speak to two experts in his craft, Ludwig Lusser & Leopoldo Siano, about Nitsch's music, process, and successes. 

    Ep 29. - Organ Stops: Saving The King of Instruments

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2022 37:07


    Today we speak with documentary filmmaker James Dawson and organ restorer Martin Renshaw about their work on the documentary Organ Stops. You can check out the full doc here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/organstops   Organ Stops Synopsis:  Martin has spent his life playing and building pipe organs; nowadays he dedicates all his time to rescuing them – "It's a real crisis. There are around fifty churches closing every year and half the organs in them are worth saving." Beautifully made and historically important pipe organs are being scrapped in their hundreds. Once the centre of British culture pipe organs are now largely neglected and unloved. Often just one step ahead of the bulldozers, Martin and a small band of organ "anoraks", travel the country on rescue missions. In one ex-mining village in the north of England he discovers a fine very rare nineteenth century organ who's salvage and "rebirth" becomes the redemptive story at the heart of the film. It's eventually adopted and given a new lease on life in a vibrant, largely Afro-Caribbean congregation in London.

    Ep. 28 - Juget-Sinclair, master organ builders

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2022 26:46


    For episode two of our Canadian Organ Builders series, we visit the workshop of Juget-Sinclair. They run the organbuilders workshop in an unassuming factory on historic Mill Street in Montreal, Canada. In this episode, they talk about how the factory is laid out, how 21st century technology is changing their job, and what they have planned for the future. 

    Ep. 27 - Adrian Foster is back for Season 2, at the Sacre Coeur de Jésus

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2022 34:54


    Adrian Foster is back at Montreal's Sacre Coeur de Jésus Church for season two. In this episode we discuss Foster's use of the pipe organ to create both electronic and acoustic music, as well as feature his piece Manifesting Light recorded in November 2021Sacre Coeur de Jésus

    Ep. 26 - Raven Chacon: Voiceless Mass

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2022 34:36


    Raven Chacon, an artist with experience in chamber music & caustic noise performance, releases his first composed work for organ & ensemble "Voiceless Mass". Listen to this Indigenous American's first experience performing with the pipe organ as well as his history as a musician and his work with the organization, The Native Americans Apprenticeship Program.

    Ep. 25 — Organ+ with Thomas Mellan, FUJI​|​|​|​|​|​|​|​|​|​|​TA& John Kameel Farah

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2021 36:46


    Welcome to the third installment of Organ+, a segment of the podcast where we profile artists and performers expanding existing contexts for the organ and creating new ones. Our guests in this episode are: Thomas Mellan, a composer and the newly minted organist at St Cecilia's Church in Boston, MA. His latest project breaks the mold of what we expect from a congregational player and connects back to his love of the electric guitar. FUJI​|​|​|​|​|​|​|​|​|​|​TA, a performer who accompanies his voice with a keyboardless pipe organ which he built and designed himself. John Kameel Farah, an artist who blends different keyboard instruments, genres, eras and cultures within live musical experiences, offering challenges and insights into the spaces where they take place.

    Ep. 24 — Sandra Boss: Bringing the Organ to the People

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2021 32:48


    Sandra Boss is a composer and sound artist based in Denmark. She is also the creator of the Automatic Organ, an instrument of her own design with a modern midi keyboard controlling old, hand-picked organ pipes that would have otherwise been thrown out. Join us here for an interview with Sandra about the inspiration behind creating the Automatic Organ, and the creative ideas that drive her compositions and performances.

    Ep. 23 — Ellen Arkbro: Choreographing Space and Harmony

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2021 33:31


    Ellen Arkbro is a Swedish composer whose search for authenticity in her musical practice led her to the pipe organ. Join us here for an interview with Arkbro about her creative approach to the organ and her abundant musical creativity. Listen to this episode's feature track, 'CHORDS for organ', here: https://ellenarkbro.bandcamp.com/track/chords-for-organ.

    Ep. 22 — Razen: Humanistic and Alien Sounds

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2021 33:14


    Razen is a Belgian improvisational group that creates music informed by early music, the unique acoustics of sacred spaces and a deep sense of ritual and connection. The group's core members, Brecht Ameel and Kim Delcour, have been involved in this project for more than ten years and they join us here for an interview about their creative process, the importance of acoustics and how they incorporate the pipe organ's complex historical context into their sound. Listen to the full album Ayîk Adhîsta, Adhîsta Ayîk here!

    Ep. 21 — Amina Claudine Myers: In Music

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2021 37:10


    Amina Claudine Myers is an, Organist, Pianst, Vocalist, Composer, Master Improvisationalist, Actress and Educator. She joins us here for an interview about her incredible life as a musician, and her yet-to-be-released Improvisational Suite, featuring the pipe organ. Amina's music gives us a glimpse into what's possible when a pipe organ is wielded by someone with a wide range of influences, and an unbridled, wild creativity.

    Ep. 20 — Roger Sayer: The Interstellar Organist

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2021 31:38


    Roger Sayer never anticipated that his organ playing would be heard by millions as part of the soundtrack to a blockbuster sci-fi film, but that's exactly what happened after composer Hans Zimmer decided to record the epic score to 2014's Interstellar on the organ at London's Temple Church. Sayer is the organist and Director of Music at Temple Church, and he joins us here for an interview about how he became an organist, what it was like to record for a blockbuster film score and why the organ is the perfect instrument for a film about time, love and outer space.

    Ep. 19 — Casavant Frères: Canadian Organ Builders Series Pt. 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2021 34:49


    Welcome to the second season of FutureStops! We're very excited to be back bringing you more of the sounds and stories of the 21st century organ experience. This season begins with the first in a series of episodes exploring the rich history of organ building in Canada. Our first stop is at the legendary house of Casavant in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, where we spoke to Dany Wiseman, Sébastien Kardos and Simon Couture about their experiences in the complex and fascinating world of organ building.

    Ep. 18 — Charlemagne Palestine: Gesamtkunstwerk for Organ

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2021 38:58


    Born in Brooklyn in 1947, Charlemagne Palestine is a multidisciplinary artist who has been exploring the sonic potential of the pipe organ since the 1970s. Join us as host Blake Hargreaves speaks with Charlemagne about his fascinating life and career. Special thanks to Nathan Cook at Close-Far Records for providing music from a very rare early recording of Charlemagne for this episode!

    Ep. 17 — Orgelpark

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2021 38:31


    Orgelpark is an organ-centric performance space and research lab in Amsterdam that is home to 6 (!) permanently installed pipe organs. Join us for our conversation with with Orgelpark's Artistic Assistant Trevor Grahl and composer Eric de Clercq to learn more about the past, present and future of this performance space and what makes it so unique.

    Ep. 16 — Kali Malone: The Moment of Listening

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2021 35:28


    Kali Malone is an American composer and organist based out of Stockholm, Sweden. Join us as Kali speaks with host Blake Hargreaves about her practice as a composer and musician interested in minimalist structure and different tuning systems. Plus, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO0Sbp8igjY to watch a video of Kali performing some of her latest compositions live at Festival Variations with Macadam Ensemble and Stephen O'Malley.

    Ep. 15 — Organ Festivals

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2021 30:54


    Music festivals around the world have had to adapt to new limitations during the COVID pandemic, such as travel restrictions and bans on gatherings. Join us as we survey the organ festival landscape, checking in on 4 different festivals to see how they're adapting. Our guests are: Ed McCall, CEO of the Organ Historical Society in the US; Br. Riccardo Ceriani, General Manager & Superintendent of The Custody of the Holy Land in the Middle East; Sir Andrew Parmley, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Organists in the UK; and Angela Hewitt, Honorary Patron of the Royal Canadian College of Organists in Canada.

    Ep. 14 — Rachel Mahon: Organist, Music Director, Comedian

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2021 28:23


    Rachel Mahon is an internationally touring solo artist, the Director of Music at Coventry Cathedral in the UK, and one half of the comedy duo, Organized Crime. Join us for a conversation with Rachel about the path that lead her to one of the top jobs in the UK, the historic Canadian connections to Coventry Cathedral and how she and Sarah Svendsen turned their antics as students into the Organized Crime duo.

    Ep. 13 — Organ+ with Adrian Foster, George Rahi & Hans-Peter Lindstrom

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2021 35:31


    Welcome to the second installment of Organ+, a segment of the podcast where we take a look at multiple, unique pipe organ projects and their creators. In this episode, Blake speaks with Canadian composer Adrian Foster, Canadian sound artist George Rahi and Norwegian DJ and producer Hans-Peter Lindstrom about some of their distinctive, individual projects.

    Ep. 12 — Claire M Singer: Organ Reframed & London's Union Chapel

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2021 36:24


    Claire M Singer is a composer, founder of the music festival Organ Reframed and Music Director of the organ at Union Chapel in London, England. Join in our conversation with Claire as she speaks about her experiences playing Union Chapel's hydraulic organ, developing an organ music program from the ground up and starting the innovative Organ Reframed festival.

    Ep. 11 — Xaver Varnus: Creating Canada's New Centre for 21st Century Organ Music

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2021 37:21


    A small town in Nova Scotia, Canada may not be where you'd expect to find the newest centre for 21st century organ music but world-renowned organist Xaver Varnus is well on his way to making that happen, with some help from his many friends in the organ community and a few of his new neighbours. If you like what you hear in this episode, please consider donating to Varnus's fundraiser for the project here!

    Ep. 10 — Kara-Lis Coverdale: Beyond the Traditional Organ

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2021 31:19


    Join us as we talk to Canadian composer and improviser Kara-Lis Coverdale about her work, and the path that led her from playing the organ in Sunday service to the world of experimental music and modern composition.

    Ep. 9 — Tim Hecker: 'Ravedeath, 1972' and the Pipe Organ's Potential

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2021 25:11


    In 2011 Canadian artist Tim Hecker recorded 'Ravedeath, 1972', an album heavily featuring the pipe organ. The album went on to win the Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year. Join Blake as he speaks with Hecker about his unique perspective on the pipe organ and its artistic potential.

    Ep. 8 — Organ+ with Kim Farris-Manning, Giles Perring & Afraaz Mulji

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2020 31:02


    Welcome to our first instalment of Organ+, where we give a quick tour of multiple, unique organ music projects from around the world and the innovative artists behind them. In this Organ+ episode, we speak with Canadian composer Kim Farris-Manning about her visual approach to writing music, UK musician Giles Perring about his World Organ project and Canadian multi-instrumentalist Afraaz Mulji about his Infinite Sonic Possibility Interface.

    Ep. 7 — Alexandra Bartfeld: #OrganTalk - A Worldwide Online Organ Community

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2020 27:45


    When the coronavirus pandemic isolated Alexandra Bartfeld from her colleagues and her practice as an organist, she found a creative way to remain engaged. Alexandra is now the host of #OrganTalk, a series of online interviews with organists from all different backgrounds and experience levels, and from all over the world. Join Blake Hargreaves as he speaks with Alexandra about her practice as an organist, and the experiences she's had through #OrganTalk so far.

    Ep. 6 — The Hammond Organ with Alcée Chriss III

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2020 37:03


    In the decades following its invention, the Hammond B-3 organ changed the sound of music. Join host Blake Hargreaves as he uncovers the history of this versatile instrument and the impact it's had on both the world of music and on one of our favourite organists — Alcée Chriss III.

    Ep. 5 — In the Meantone with Sarah Davachi

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2020 35:56


    From alternate tunings to the human element, there are many ways to experiment with sound. In this episode, electroacoustic composer and performer Sarah Davachi speaks to Blake about her musical interests and practice, including her thoughts on pipe organs and synthesizers.

    Ep. 4 — Cameron Carpenter: Sharing Organ Music from a Flatbed Truck

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2020 31:11


    For this episode, Blake sat down with the inimitable Cameron Carpenter in his Berlin studio to talk about one of his latest projects — performing organ concerts from the back of a flatbed truck.

    Ep. 3 — Pipe Dreams: The Making of a Documentary

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2020 34:00


    In this episode, Blake speaks with Stacey Tenenbaum, Director and Producer of 'Pipe Dreams', a hit documentary that follows five young organists competing in the Canadian International Organ Competition.

    Ep. 2 — How Slow Is Slow?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2020 31:01


    Join Blake as he attends the first note change in 7 years in the longest organ performance on Earth -- John Cage's 'Organ²/ASLSP' in Halberstadt, Germany.

    Ep. 1 — Olivier Latry & The Notre Dame Organ Restoration

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2020 36:17


    In our first episode, host Blake Hargreaves speaks with renowned organist Olivier Latry and organ builder Bertrand Cattiaux about the restoration, history and future of the great organ at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris following the devastating fire in April 2019.

    Trailer: Interview with Olivier Latry

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2020 1:31


    Welcome to FutureStops! In this trailer, you can listen to an excerpt of host Blake Hargreave's interview with Olivier Latry, the titular organist of Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral.

    Claim FutureStops

    In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

    Claim Cancel