A brief history of the Leonard Gibbons Fund
Leonard Gibbons, Secretary of Birmingham Organists’ Association during the 1930s, was a former organist of St Mary’s Church, Selly Oak and St George’s Church, Edgbaston. The Fund originated in 1978 when Mrs Gibbons made a donation to the association in memory of her late husband. The records show a succession of further donations from her during the 1980s.
Since then, the fund has grown substantially through the regular efforts and generosity of many members of the association. During the last decade alone, the capital increased three-fold in spite of regular payments being made to worthy organ students. From 1983, the Fund was used to provide a single annual prize for someone living in the Birmingham area, studying the organ, and judged by the trustees to be outstanding in commitment and performance. Amongst those benefiting from the Fund during this period can be counted several who have become professional musicians and recitalists, including Keith Hearnshaw, Paul Carr and David Briggs.
In more recent years, as a consequence of the growth in the Fund’s capital, the Council of the association has been able to create opportunities for even more students to benefit from the Fund. There is no longer a single annual prize: students are invited to apply for an award throughout the year. Once suitable references have been received, an award is now normally made either as a voucher for the purchase of organ music or as lessons with a well-respected organ teacher.
The latest change has created an opportunity for Birmingham Organists’ Association, working with the organ department of Birmingham Conservatoire, to sponsor one of the Conservatoire’s students on an annual basis, and also to give her or him the experience of joining the Council of the association and thus influencing its activities. The most public outcome of this is that the sponsored student is responsible for organising one of the association’s events during their year on Council. Starting in 2010, instead of the sponsored student being nominated by Conservatoire staff, a competition has been arranged, the final stage of which takes place in St Chad’s Cathedral when BOA members are invited to attend.
Click here for the Guidelines used by the trustees in making awards.