Kelvingrove Organ Recitals

Kelvingrove Organ Recitals run every day of the week at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, with local and visiting organists taking turns at the keys. The recitals happen at 1pm Monday to Saturday and 3pm on Sundays, so there's a slot to fit in whether you're popping in on a lunch break or spending a Sunday afternoon in the West End. They're free to attend.

The music comes from the Lewis & Co. pipe organ that's stood in the museum's centre hall since 1902. It was commissioned as part of the Glasgow International Exhibition in 1901 and moved into the gallery later to become its central feature. It's a massive instrument, with 2,889 pipes, and it sits right in the middle of the main concourse. Because the gallery isn't a cathedral, the repertoire is more varied than you might expect from an organ: the weekday and Saturday recitals lean towards the light and popular, while the Sunday afternoon is more classical. The gallery is said to hold the world record for the number of daily organ recitals it puts on.

If you're a fan of the instrument itself, there are tours available after the Friday performance. The museum is right next to Kelvingrove Park and houses prehistoric dinosaurs, old-master paintings, and medieval armour alongside ever-changing contemporary exhibitions, so you can easily make a whole afternoon of it. The recitals are in the Centre Hall on Argyle Street, Glasgow West End G3 8AG, and they're free.