The Betts Centre for Organ Studies offers support, programming, and social events for the organ scholars of Oxford University. In addition to masterclasses and seminars, the Centre has co-sponsored a four-year sequence of conferences on the Organ in England from 1600 to the present day (2006-2010) in collaboration with the British Institute of Organ Studies. The Centre also organises study trips to explore the rich variety of pipe organ traditions across Britain and the European continent. The annual Organ Scholars Dinner, usually held in Trinity Term, is the most well-attended event in the Betts diary. In the summer of 2024, Michael Koenig succeeded Dr Katie Pardee as the Betts Scholar in Organ Studies at the University of Oxford.
John Alfred Henry Betts (1920–1989)
A teacher at Gosford Hill School, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, John Betts was an amateur organ-builder and player, maintaining several instruments in and around Oxford. He was particularly fond of the traditional Anglican ‘Cathedral Style.’ John Betts was an active member of the Oxford and District Organists Association for many years, serving as its secretary from 1976 to 1978. Following the death of his wife, a portion of his estate was given to the University of Oxford, Faculty of Music, to form the John Betts Foundation.
