Concert celebrates 150 years of pipe organ

Published on 10 March 2020

**Please note this event has been cancelled. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. We will be in contact with everyone who has already purchased tickets.** 

A spotlight will be cast on a special piece of Hobart’s heritage this month, as the Hobart Town Hall grand organ turns 150 years old.

The spectacular pipe organ will be showcased at the fingertips of internationally acclaimed Australian concert organist Thomas Heywood in a special anniversary concert on Sunday 22 March.

Mr Heywood will play a 50-minute recital of classical works that have featured in the organ’s history.

“They will be works by some of the world’s greatest composers, selected for their significance to the organ and the city of Hobart,” Mr Heywood said.

“When these pieces were originally played, they were creating history; these were the moments that we now look back on as establishing the Town Hall – and the organ – as central to Hobart’s development and cultural life.”

Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds, who will launch a commemorative feature-length DVD and CD at the concert, said the Town Hall pipe organ had played an important part in the city’s history.

“Since its opening in 1866, the Town Hall has been an important place for social and formal gatherings and special occasions,” Cr Reynolds said.

“The pipe organ has provided a musical backdrop to many moments in Hobart’s history and this concert will celebrate the role it’s played.

“This concert will, in effect, create the next piece of the organ’s – and the Town Hall’s – continuing history.”

The anniversary concert will be held in the Hobart Town Hall on Sunday 22 March from 2.30 pm. Tickets are available from eventbrite.com.au. The concert will be followed by the launch of the DVD and CD The Heart of Hobart and a celebratory reception.

ABOUT THE ORGAN

The organ was constructed in England by JW Walker and Sons specifically for the Hobart Town Hall, at a cost of £750. Its components were then packed into 28 cases and shipped to Hobart with instructions for assembly on 22 August 1869, and arrived in Tasmania on 28 November that year.

Installation in the Town Hall was completed by 10 February 1870 and the final cost, including freight and installation, was approximately £1300.

The original organ had three manuals and pedals, with 29 stops and 1926 pipes. The organ case was stained timber, and the display pipes featured stencilled decoration.

At the time, it was considered to be among the two best organs in the southern hemisphere.

The first city organist, Frederick Augustus Gow Packer, had been heavily involved in fundraising to purchase the organ and performed the opening concert on 17 March 1870. Town Hall soon became established as an important music venue in Hobart.

The organ has undergone two major refurbishments in its 150-year lifespan, being in 1929 and 1967, with new and upgraded components added and the number of pipes increased to 2850. Many components of the original organ remain intact and in use.

Between 1870 and 2000, the City had eight official organists who would play at events and provide public concerts.