Leeds International Organ Festival

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Leeds International Organ Festival (LIOF), founded in 2018, brings artists of international standing to Leeds each summer, with weekly recitals on Leeds Cathedral's magnificent Klais organ at the heart of the festival. Recent artists have included Ourania Gassiou (Megaron Concert Hall, Athens), Thomas Heywood (Melbourne, Australia) and Friedhelm Flamme (Vox Organi Festival, Germany). In addition, these distinguished artists have led workshops for young students in the Diocese of Leeds Keyboard Studies Programme, with classes from Winfried Bönig (Cologne Cathedral) and Gonny van der Maten (Soest, The Netherlands). Not restricted to classical repertoire, LIOF 2019 featured percussionist Teena Lyle in concert with David Pipe and, since 2020, the festival has also included the accordion. Our annual ‘in conversation’ evenings have welcomed Sir James MacMillan and Dame Judith Weir, and our guest in 2023 was Dame Gillian Weir.