Trip to Rieger from 06.03.25 to 09.03.25
ECHO Young Ambassadors
In early March, a group of 8 young organists and organ enthusiasts from across Europe gathered at Rieger Orgelbau in Austria to take a look behind the scenes at how the instruments we play are made.
We were given a tour around the company and workshop to see where the different components are made, looked at their current projects on the restoration of historic instruments, and learned that Rieger is now the oldest organ-builder firm in the world in continuous operation since its foundation in 1844.
And then… it was time for us to have a go! Following a safety briefing and donned ear protection, we split into two groups - metalworking and woodworking. In the metalworking group, we learnt how to prepare metal and solder it together and then put it into practice: rolling, flattening, filing, and soldering until we had something which resembled a pipe. At the same time, the woodworking group got straight to the task of making a holder to display the pipe: measuring, sawing, chiselling, and sanding until the pieces locked together (no glue necessary).
On the second day, we swapped groups. Once the pipes were assembled, we took them to be finished by one of the voicers. At the end of day two, we each left the workshop with our very own organ pipe to take home with us and display proudly.
The weekend was not all work and no play, however! We spent our evenings relaxing together around a campfire or watching the sunset over Lake Constance, and our time in Schwarzach was bookended by playing visits to Rieger organs in the churches of St Michael (2011 and 2024) and Maria Immaculata (2016) in Munich.
This was a very exciting and enjoyable visit for all participants. A special thank you goes to Leo Ammer from Rieger, a young organ builder we met in Göteborg during the festival last October, without whose organisation and warm welcome this trip would not have been possible. We hope that we can continue this partnership between ECHO Young and Rieger Orgelbau in the future.
Angela Ede, Young Ambassador of Toulouse
