Each year the Organ Historical Trust of Australia organises a conference lasting about a week in one of the states of Australia. Conferences have also been held on both islands of New Zealand. These conferences bring organists and those interested in the instrument together from all over Australia, as well as New Zealand, the UK, the USA, Asia and Europe. Often, an international authority on the history and restoration of historic organs attends as a key-note speaker. Past guests have included Uwe Pape (Germany), Barbara Owen (USA) and Stephen Bicknell (UK). Opportunities are provided for recitals on historic and instruments. Members often have time to play and inspect the instruments for themselves and papers on the preservation of organs and other relevant topics are presented and later published in OHTA News.
2017 MELBOURNE AND BALLARAT REGIONS
40TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
MELBOURNE AND BALLARAT REGIONS
25 – 30 SEPTEMBER 2017
The Organ Historical Trust of Australia's 2017 conference will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the foundation of the organisation in May 1977 as well as focussing upon the work of 19th century Melbourne organbuilder Alfred Fuller. There will be papers and panel discussions associated with these two themes, details of which are given below, together with a number of recitals and demonstrations.
The conference will also include visits to significant instruments, not only by Alfred Fuller, but also by Alfred Crook, George Fincham, Balbiani, Harrison & Harrison, Samuel Joscelyne, Henry Willis & Sons, J.W. Wolff, Hill, Norman & Beard, Halmshaw and Hamlin & Son. The programme will include a number of organ recitals and a visit to the Grainger Museum.
A block booking for OHTA has been made at the Ibis Melbourne Hotel and Apartments, 15-21 Therry Street, Melbourne, but you must contact the hotel directly before 30 June 2017 to ensure a preferential rate, quoting code: 'OHTA40'. Room only cost per night is $125.00 (max 2 per room). Contact Andrew Singer (Reservations Manager), email [email protected] or telephone 03 9666 0000. Breakfast can be reserved at a reduced rate ($16.00 per day) at the time of booking.
Accommodation for one night only (Friday 29 September) has been reserved at the RACV Goldfields Resort, Creswick, north of Ballarat, and is included in the conference registration.
As the end of the week will be the football Grand Final Weekend, it is suggested that your accommodation and transport to Melbourne be given high priority.
Student bursaries will also be available for full-time students under the age of 25. Applications should be sent to John Maidment [email protected]
The conference will start on Monday 25 September, with registration from 9.00 am at St Paul's Cathedral. It will conclude in Ballarat on Saturday 30 September at 12.15 pm and after a lunch break the coach will drop participants at Melbourne airport by 3.00 pm and then central Melbourne. As this will be the AFL Grand Final weekend, it is suggested that accommodation in Melbourne and interstate transport be booked early.
Current plans are as follows:
• Monday 25 September, central Melbourne and to the north and south of the city
• Tuesday 26 September, north of the city – Fitzroy, Carlton and Parkville
• Wednesday 27 September – Alfred Fuller day in Flemington, North Fitzroy, Heidelberg and Blackburn
• Thursday 28 September, south and east of the city – East St Kilda, Caulfield and Hawthorn
• Friday 29 September, country tour – to Craigie, Talbot, Clunes and Creswick
• Saturday 30 September, country tour – Ballarat
Please download the Conference Brochure by clicking on he link below:
2017 Conference Brochure
OHTA AT 40
The conference will examine in some detail what OHTA has achieved through the 40 years of its existence. The foundation of OHTA in 1977 will be discussed and then specific aspects of its achievements will be examined, including the Stiller documentations, OHTA News, the website, conferences, preservation standards, tax deductible appeals, significant restorations and losses, and future directions, such as the setting up of an OHTA foundation.
FOCUS ON FULLER
The conference will focus upon the work of Melbourne organbuilder Alfred Fuller, a number of whose instruments have been successfully restored and relocated. Fuller was born in Kelvedon, Essex in 1845 and worked with London organbuilder G.M. Holdich and gained further experience in North America before his arrival in Melbourne in 1871. Between 1880 and 1900 he built more than 25 new organs, distinctive on account of their excellence of workmanship, design and choice of materials. Fuller retired from organbuilding and moved into real estate and died a very wealthy man in 1923. Sadly, a number of his instruments have either been destroyed or rebuilt beyond recognition.
Enquiries to John Maidment, [email protected]
Alfred Fuller (1845 - 1923)
Fuller organ in North Melbourne Methodist Church
Alfred Fuller nameplate (St John's Anglican Church, Heidelberg)
1896 Fuller organ in St John's Anglican Church, Heidelberg (rebuilt 1965)
1884 Fuller organ in Cairns Memorial Uniting Church, East Melbourne
1883 Fuller organ in St Paul's Anglican Cathedral, Bendigo
Console of 1883 Fuller organ in St Paul's Anglican Cathedral, Bendigo
1880 Fuller organ in Toorak Uniting Church
2016 New Zealand
2016 OHTA NEW ZEALAND CONFERENCE
Visiting the Shaky Isles: Christchurch to Dunedin, New Zealand
The 2016 OHTA Conference will be held in the South Island of New Zealand. It will start in Christchurch on Monday 26 September and end in the Dunedin Town Hall on Sunday 2 October. A distinctive part of this conference will be learning about the greatest destruction of organs in Australasia (the 2010/11 Canterbury earthquakes), seeing the earthquake impact on central Christchurch, and acknowledging achievements of the rebuild.
In addition to visits to many organs of historic interest, each day includes a contrasting activity such as lunch in Ferrymead Heritage Park (Edwardian township), visiting New Zealand's first musical farm (cow bells, boomwhammers, musical windmill, ...), and visiting the South Island Organ Company factory near Timaru.
The cost is somewhat higher than previous conferences, because of the inclusion of 7 nights' accommodation and substantial coach travel. There are discounts for members and "early bird" registrations.
Please send enquiries to Charles Sullivan ([email protected]).
Anfragen auf Deutsch willkommen.
Vous pouvez soumettre questions en français à [email protected].
Please click here to download the Conference Brochure. Where possible, we request that bookings be made by:
1. Typing into that brochure, saving the file, and emailing it to [email protected].
2. Paying by direct bank transfer (the first payment option in the brochure).
Even if you need to post a cheque or pay by credit card, we would still appreciate it if you would try typing the other details into the brochure (credit card numbers are excluded from the typing for security reasons) and emailing the brochure in addition to sending anything that you need to post. Typing saves us time and eliminates errors from misreading handwriting. If you have difficulty typing into the form (e.g. old software may not let you do that), then of course we're still happy to receive your form scanned or posted.
Please click here for travel tips to and from NZ.
The 1929 Hill, Norman & Beard organ at Dunedin Town Hall, restored by the South Island Organ Company 1995 (John Maidment)
The 1912 Arthur Hobday organ in Sacred Heart Basilica, Timaru restored by the South Island Organ Company 1986 (John Maidment)
Itinerary
OHTA conference 2016 plan as at 24 July
Monday 26 September: Christchurch CBD
10:15 Knox Presbyterian. Registration + morning tea. Video display of earthquake impact on organs.
10:45 Welcome
10:55 Lecture/presentation by John Dodgshun: Earthquake-related organ losses with focus on St Mary's Merivale story -- Hill, Norman & Beard 1926/1938, reb. 1968 Strachan, 3/49.
12:00 Organ recital by Andrew Blackburn. Organ: Jenkins 1903; reb. 1913 Pearce inc parts from Nicholson & Lord; reb. Brett 19??; rest. 1987 SIOC; rest. & enlarged 2014 SIOC; 3/30.
13:00 Catered lunch at Knox
13:50 Lecture/presentation by John Hargraves (South Island Organ Company): An organbuilder's perspective on the Canterbury earthquakes, including comments on their work in Knox & St Michaels visited the same day
14:45 Walking Tour (weather permitting). The quakes: destruction and rebuild (getting to grips with the impact first-hand). Taxi-van alternative to Quake City Exhibition for those not wanting to walk.
● Route: Town Hall; Durham St Methodist site; Arts Centre (Great Hall if can get access), Cathedral Square
15:45 approx. Quake City Exhibition & DIY afternoon tea in cafes (e.g. Re-Start Mall)
17:00 St Michael and All Angels Anglican. Bevington 1872; reb. 1896 F&H; reb. 1944 Lawton & Osborne; reb. 1951 HN&B; reb. 1971 Strachan; O/H 1978; 2001 SIOC; 2014 SIOC; 3/37.
18:00 Evening meal in cafes etc nearby (DIY; suggestions on map in booklet).
19:30 St Mary's Pro-Cathedral. Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament Choir concert with organs, harpsichord, piano, violin.
Tuesday 27 September: Christchurch & surrounds
09:25 Bus departs
En route, drive by sites of St Luke's, Oxford Terrace Baptist, Octagon/Trinity Congregational, Transitional Cathedral/St John's Latimer Square (the 'cardboard cathedral'), St Paul's Trinity Pacific, Cathedral of Blessed Sacrament (Petre architect).
10:00 St Saviour's at Holy Trinity (Anglican), Lyttelton: Gray & Davison 1864, enl. 1912 Brett, O/H 1975-79 SIOC. 1/7
11:10 Union church, Lyttelton. Jenkins 1877, rem. 1880 from Lyttelton Orphanage. 2/15
12:15 Ferrymead Heritage Park. Edwardian township complete with picture theatre, school house, church, bakery, jail and railway station, steam train, trams. Home to 20 heritage societies. Organ: Sandford 1887-8, rem. 2007 from Hospital Sunnyside (Hillmorton); 1/4. Catered lunch.
15:00 Kaiapoi Cooperating Parish/Wesley Centre (former Methodist church): Jenkins 1879, enl. 1886 Jenkins. 2/13
15:45 OHTA AGM
17:15 St Andrew's at Rangi Ruru (Presbyterian), Merivale: Gray & Davison 1902, reb. 1964 Croft, enl. 1988 SIOC. 2/30
18:30 DIY evening meal
20:00 OHTA Council meeting, Webb Room at Pavilions Hotel.
Wednesday 28 September: Christchurch to Timaru
08:45 Bus departs
09:15 All Saint's Prebbleton – Wadsworth 1898, 2/9
10:30 St. Stephen's Lincoln - Nicholson & Lord / Pearce 1908; 1 / 8
12:00 Lunch in Darfield (DIY)
13:00 Trinity Darfield – Hobday 1914, 2/12
15:15 At Violinos Musical Farmstay, near Ashburton. Musical windmill, cowbells, boomwhackers, etc., and a Positive organ - afternoon tea 17:05 Temuka: St. Peter's Anglican. Sandford & Sandford 1888, 2/12
17:55 Bus departs
18:20 Arrive Grosvenor Hotel
19:00 Dinner at Landing Services Building (heritage building from 1871). Walk from hotel (3mins).
Thursday 29 September: Timaru & Waimate
08:55 Walk to St Mary's. Turn left into Beswick St, right into Stafford, then next left into Church St. (see map in booklet)
09:00 St. Mary's Timaru. Lewis 1886, reb. 1943 Brett, reb. 1962 Hayman, reb. & enlarged 1982 SIOC. 2/37. Alexander Mann grand piano (world's largest)
09:55 Bus departs for Waimate
10:45 St. Patrick's Basilica Waimate. Hobday 1918, rest. 1996 SIOC; 2/19. Francis Petre building.
12:30 Lunch (DIY at Timaru cafes; suggestions with map in booklet)
13:45 Bank Street Funeral Home - Nicholson & Lord / Pearce 1912-13, 2/12. NZOPT Historic Organ Certificate presentation
14:40 Bus departs
15:00 South Island Organ Company factory. Diverse activities.
17:15 Bus departs
17:40 DIY dinner near hotel (suggestions with map in booklet)
19:00 Bus departs (from outside the Grosvenor hotel)
19:30 Concert at Sacred Heart Basilica. A. A. Hobday 1912, pipes from 1848 Gray & Davison, rest. 1986 SIOC. 2/26.
Friday 30 September: Timaru to Dunedin
08:30 Bus departs
09:45 Waitaki Boys High School (Hall of Memories), Oamaru. Lawton & Osborne 1932, rest. 1996 SIOC. 2/24.
11:00 St. Patrick's Basilica, Oamaru. Positive Organ Co; 1/7. Hobday 1899, reb. Matla 1956, rem. from Masterton Anglican St Matthew's, 2/19. Petre building.
12:00 DIY lunch and walk around Oamaru Victorian Precinct (attractive whitestone buildings).
13:20 Bus departs
13:45 St. Andrew's Maheno. Brett 1938; 1/6.
15:15 Palmerston. Catered afternoon tea at Station Café.
15:55 Bus departs
16:50 Iona Presbyterian, Port Chalmers: Hill c.1916, inst. 1926, rest. 1998 SIOC. 2/13.
17:45 Holy Trinity Anglican, Port Chalmers: Jardine 1915; 2/11
19:00 Arrive Leviathan Hotel. DIY meals nearby (map in booklet has pointers to areas nearby with plenty of cafes and restaurants).
Saturday 1 October: Dunedin
8:30 Load buses (minivan first). Split into two streams because of limit on numbers at Burchell home.
Stream A (minivan)
● 8:30 Minivan departs
● 9:05 Burchell residence – Telford 1864 2/19. Positive Organ Company 1 / 4 (from Broad Bay church).
● 9:50 Load minivan
● 10:05 St David's Presbyterian, North East Valley: Nicholson & Lord / Pearce 1913-14. 2/15.
● 10:55 Load bus (back on main coach, all together again)
Stream B (main coach)
● 8:35 Bus departs
● 8:55 St David's Presbyterian, North East Valley: Nicholson & Lord / Pearce 1913-14. 2/15.
● 9:35 Load bus
● 9:40 Bus departs
● 10:00 Burchell residence – Telford 1864 2/19 & Positive Organ Company 1 / 4 (from Broad Bay church)
● 10:40 Load bus
● 10:45 Bus departs (picking up others from St David's en route).
11:20 St Matthew's Anglican, Dunedin: Bevington 1879, 1895 Jenkins added prep. Trumpet rank, enl.1908 Norman & Beard, reb. SIOC 1969. 3/26.
12:05 Load bus
12:15 Bus departs
12:30 Lunch in Te Toitu/Otago Settlers Museum Museum (Auditorium).
13:15 Te Toitu/Otago Settlers Museum, talk by Andrew Blackburn: The pipe organ in Malaysia - a little known history, heritage
14:05 Museum visit. Barrel organ on display (but will not be played/demonstrated) Bryceson c.1850, rem. 1864 from Dunedin Anglican St Paul's Cathedral. Barrel organ with 3 barrels each with ten tunes. 8,8,4. In storage (will not be seen): John Taylor 1885. 1 /4.
14:45 Afternoon tea in the Museum.
15:10 Depart museum on foot (unless raining). 10 min walk + viewing First Church en route.
15:30 Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle (Anglican): Willis 1919, reb. SIOC 1973. 4/61. Also Croft, rem 2008 Wellington Lutheran St Paul's. 1/5.
16:30 Leave on foot for St Joseph's (8 mins walk, uphill)
16:45 Catholic St Joseph's Cathedral. Fincham 1866, reb. and enl. SIOC 1976. 3/35. Petre building with St Dominic's Priory nearby too.
17:45 Back to accommodation
18:20 Load bus
18:30 Bus departs
18:45 Final shared dinner, Dunedin Club (built 1867)
Sunday 2 October: Dunedin
Morning: No set activity. Choices (own expense) include:
● Otago Peninsula wildlife tour (albatrosses, yellow-eyed penguins, seals)
● Choral Services at Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle (Anglican) 10am; Knox Church Presbyterian 10 am and St Joseph's Cathedral (Catholic) 10 am.
● Olveston historic home visit
● Cadbury chocolate factory tour
● Speights Brewery (1876) tour (12 noon, or after the concert)
● Perhaps: Open console at Town Hall organ (to be confirmed later)
14:00 Town Hall concert by David Burchell, Dunedin City Organist. Hill, Norman & Beard 1919, enl. 1923 HN&B, enl. 1929 HN&B, rest. 1995 SIOC. 4/61.
15:30 Conference end
16:00 Bus departs for Christchurch. (Others will choose to stay in Dunedin and fly from there on Monday; or to travel further in Otago/Southland).
2015 New South Wales
A COUNTRY TOUR: ORGANS NORTH OF THE HUNTER, NSW
The 2015 OHTA Conference will be held in country New South Wales, commencing in Newcastle on Sunday 27 September and finishing there on the afternoon of Saturday 3 October. It is proposed that a coach will leave central Sydney on the afternoon of 27 September – interstate/overseas participants will therefore be able to fly in and out of Sydney. It is possible to fly directly to Newcastle (Williamtown), but as there are only a few direct flights daily from Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and some other regional centres, intending participants are advised to book early. Newcastle airport is some 30km from the centre of Newcastle, and is accessible by taxi or bus. If necessary, the conference coach will take participants to Newcastle airport at the conclusion of the conference and then return to Sydney.
The conference will take the form of a tour north along the mid-north coast of New South Wales as far as Bellingen, then inland to Armidale and returning to Newcastle. About 21 organs will be heard during the tour: the area contains representative samples of the work of English builders Hunter, Nicholson, Walker and Willis, an American Estey pipe organ and Australian organs by Davidson, Dodd, Fincham, Griffin & Leggo, and Whitehouse. There will be minimal overlap with organs visited during the 2005 conference, which focused on instruments of the lower Hunter Region. A small number of lectures and recitals will be given and there will be a short festival of Wesleyan hymnody to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the foundation of Methodism in New South Wales.
The cost of registration will be somewhat higher than previous conferences, owing to the inclusion of six nights' accommodation in the fee. There will be discounts for members and "early bird" registrations.
Enquiries can be directed to Kelvin Hastie ([email protected]).
Please click here to download the Conference Brochure.
Please click here for further details of organs to be visited and daily schedule.
2014 Queensland
Brisbane City Hall (Photograph: John Maidment)
The 37th annual conference of the Organ Historical Trust of Australia was held in Queensland from 22-27 September 2014.
Our principal overseas guest was the internationally renowned improviser Nigel Allcoat who performed for us at several venues. See his website at: http://www.nigelallcoat.org/
The conference also commemorated the completion of the restoration of the Henry Willis & Sons organ at Brisbane City Hall carried out by Pierce Pipe Organs Pty Ltd. This project started at the end of 2009 and has seen its complete removal from the hall, its refurbishment, and reinstatement in the restored hall 2013-2014 which now has superlative acoustics. Details of the organ are at: http://www.ohta.org.au/organs/organs/BrisbaneTownHall.html
There was a number of visits to many significant organs, such as the Norman & Beard instrument at St John's Cathedral, which has received a major tonal revision since our last visit, and to a number of organs by the local firm of Whitehouse Bros. together with others by Pierce Pipe Organs, Knud Smenge, Roger Pogson, J.W. Walker & Sons and Kenneth Tickell. Papers were also delivered that were relevant to the themes of the conference.
Please click here to see the full details.
Participants at the 2014 conference on the steps of St Mary's Church, Ipswich (Hugh Knight)
2013 South Australia
Broad Horizons. Looking over the Hill
36th Annual Conference
Monday 30 September – Saturday 5 October 2013
Full details and updated information is available on this page.
Please click here to download the conference brochure.
Please click on above link to download the latest itinerary
NOTE
Transport on the tram within the CBD is free but there is a cost associated with travel to Glenelg and North Adelaide. Buses are scheduled for every 15 minutes to North Adelaide but route numbers need to be carefully selected. A shared taxi from the South Terrace hotels to St Peter's Cathedral might be an option.
OHTA's 2013 conference will focus upon the restored 1875 Hill & Son grand organ, located at the Barossa Regional Gallery, Tanunda, a thriving historic town located in the renowned Barossa Valley, famous for its wines. It is anticipated that this organ will be completed to a state of full playability in time for the conference and it will be heard in several recitals, discussed in relevant papers, and there will be opportunities for participants to play the instrument. We will visit a number of significant organs in Adelaide, before moving to the Barossa Valley via Moonta, and there will be day excursions to several instruments and historic sites and opportunities for wine tastings.
OHTA's international guest for the conference will be Dr William McVicker, who is a highly regarded organist, teacher and authority on the organ, based in the United Kingdom. He is curator of the organs at the Royal Festival Hall and Reading Town Hall and has made a significant contribution to the promotion and development of these instruments. His skills as an organ consultant have also been widely sought.
Group conference attendees shot (Photograph: Trevor Bunning 3 October 2013)
1875 Hill & Son Organ, Tanunda Regional Gallery
2012 Western Australia
OHTA's 35th annual conference was held in Western Australia from Tuesday 10 to Monday 16 April, immediately after Easter. Starting in Perth, it moved to the southern coast at Albany.
The conference included visits to a number of notable organs. Western Australia's boom in mineral wealth has translated to pipe organs, where a number of new instruments or rebuilt instruments have appeared since our previous visit in 2004.
These include organs by Létourneau, Pipe Organs WA, the South Island Organ Company and von Beckerath. Major recitals were given by Jonathan Bradley, Patrick Elms, Jacinta Jacovcevic, Joseph Nolan, Dominic Perissinotto and Alessandro Pittorino.
There were several lectures relating to organ playing, organ music and organbuilding in Western Australia.
The first day of the conference was spent in central Perth, before moving to Mount Lawley and Mirrabooka.
The second day was spent in West Perth, Wembley, Subiaco, Floreat, Cottesloe and ended in Fremantle.
The third day was spent in Crawley and central Perth. On the fourth day, several organs were visited in central Perth before we moved on to Albany in the afternoon. The following two days (and three nights) were spent in the Albany region, returning to Perth on the Monday via scenic areas in the south-west.
The conference was organised by a local committee chaired by Dominic Perissinotto.
OHTA also offered two student bursaries to cover the cost of attendance at the conference (but not inclusive of travel costs to Western Australia).
Please click here to download the Conference Brochure for all bookings and information.
WEST COAST EVOLUTION : SOUNDING THE FUTURE
35th annual conference of the Organ Historical Trust of Australia
Perth & Albany, Western Australia, April 2012
Copies of the 2012 conference book, in A4 format and illustrated, with a total of 94 pages, are available from the Organ Historical Trust of Australia, PO Box 676, Sydney, NSW 2001. The cost per copy is $20.00, inclusive of postage throughout Australia; overseas rates upon application. Cheques for this amount should be made out to the Organ Historical Trust of Australia.
2011 Tasmania
April 2011 (following Easter) - Tuesday 26 April to Sunday 1 May, 2011
The Organ Historical trust of Australia 34th annual conference was held in Tasmania from Tuesday 26 April (immediately after Easter 2011 and Anzac Day) and concluded in Launceston on Sunday 1 May.
The conference included visits to organs, mostly of historic significance, recitals, lectures and visits to places and buildings of scenic or architectural interest.
Please click here for more details.
Please download the Conference Brochure by clicking here.
Please click here to purchase a copy of the Conference Book.
2010 Sydney and the Central West of New South Wales
5th April - 11th April, 2010A DIVERSE HERITAGE: ORGANS IN HISTORIC URBAN AND RURAL SETTINGS OF NEW SOUTH WALES
THE OHTA 33RD ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2010
With the theme “A Diverse Heritage: organs in historic urban and rural settings in New South Wales”, the 2010 OHTA conference took place in Sydney and the Central West of NSW, 5 - 11 April 2010. The post-Easter time was designed to attract students to the conference, for whom attendance at other times has proven difficult in recent years, owing to changes in the University calendar. The conference featured about 29 organs, including instruments by Hill & Son, Forster & Andrews, Fincham, Puget, Pogson, Norman & Beard, Leggo, Walker, Davidson, Hunter, Brindley & Foster, Richardson and Dodd.
Click here to download the conference brochure.
2009 Adelaide and the Barossa Valley, South Australia
3rd October - 10th October, 2009A RICH AND DIVERSE PALATE
THE OHTA 32ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2009
The 32nd OHTA Annual Conference was held in South Australia commencing Saturday 3 October and continuing through the following week. Sights, sounds and tastes were explored as we visited Adelaide and the Barossa Region. A rich and diverse palate of organ and German culture was a feature.
The 1875 Hill & Son Grand Organ and the organs of German immigrant Daniel Lemke were focal points. Instruments by Gebrüder Walter, Löhrmann, Laukhuff, Krüger and J.E. Dodd were also visited.
A country tour to the historic copper mine of Burra was incorporated.
A downloadable brochure with booking arrangements is available here.
2008 Melbourne and regional Victoria
29th September - 4th October, 2008The 2008 OHTA annual conference took place in Victoria, based in Melbourne and Bendigo, in the Victorian countryside. The theme of the conference was the technical documentation of significant pipe organs and how this information can be used to facilitate accurate restoration and reconstruction. The keynote speaker was Paul Peeters, from Gothenburg, Sweden, the president of the International Association for Organ Documentation. A number of recitals took place, together with visits to notable organs by the local builders Anderson, Fincham, Fuller, Hill, Norman & Beard, Lemke and Stone, and the overseas builders Bishop, Hamlin, Hill, Merklin, Randebrock, Willis, Wurlitzer and anon.
Future Conferences
2014 - Brisbane, Queensland
Past Conferences
1. 1978 - Melbourne – Pipe Organ Preservation Conference
2. 1979 - Sydney - Preserving a Nineteenth Centure Heritage
3. 1980 - Adelaide - Colonial Enterprise in South Australian Organ Building
4. 1981 - Hunter Valley - Organs in the Hunter Valley, NSW
5. 1982 - Melbourne - Conserving the Past - Pipe Organs in Victoria & New Zealand
6. 1983 - Launceston - The 19th Century Sound Preserved - Tasmania's Historic Pipe Organs
7. 1984 - Sydney - Old and New: Some Notable Organs in Sydney and their design
8. 1985 - Melbourne & Bendigo
9. 1986 - Adelaide - All the King's Men
10. 1987 - Melbourne & the Victorian Goldfields
11. 1988 - Sydney - New South Wales - The State of Organ Preservation
12. 1989 - Brisbane, Ipswich & Gympie
13. 1990 - Katoomba, Bathurst, Carcoar, Mudgee, Muswellbrook, Singleton, Maitland & Newcastle -
The Central West & Hunter, New South Wales
14. 1991 - Adelaide and Moonta - A Broad Perspective
15. 1992 - Launceston and Hobart - A Transplanted Tradition - Historical Organs of Tasmania
16. 1993 - Perth - West Australian Organs - The Old and the New
17. 1994 - Melbourne and the Western District of Victoria - Vintage Victoriana
18. 1995 - Sydney - Restorations in Retrospect
19. 1996 - New Zealand - Wellington and the South Island - Southern Sounds
20. 1997 - Melbourne - Australian Organists and Organ Music
21. 1998 - South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales - From Mountains to Coast
22. 1999 - Adelaide, Tanunda and the Fleurieu Peninsula
23. 2000 - Melbourne – Melbourne Organ Weekend
24. 2001 - Canberra and South-East New South Wales - Capital Organs
25. 2002 - Launceston and Hobart, Tasmania - Players, Programmes & Pipes
26. 2003 - Riverina - Organs in the Riverina district of NSW and North East Victoria - Redundant, Recyled and Renovated
27. 2004 - Perth - Organs and Organists - The West Coast Story
28. 2005 - Sydney, Newcastle and the Hunter Valley - Future Directions for the Pipe Organ in Australia
29. 2006 - Auckland and Waikato regions, New Zealand - Indigenous and Exotic - some organs of the Upper North Island, NZ
30. 2007 - Brisbane, Sunshine and Fraser Coasts - The Twentieth Century and its Legacy
31. 2008 - Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula and the Victorian Goldfields Region - Organ Documentation - Home and Abroad
32. 2009 - South Australia and the Barossa Valley - A rich and diverse palate
33. 2010 - Sydney and the Central West of New South Wales - A Diverse Heritage: organs in historic urban and rural settings in New South Wales
34. 2011 - Tasmania - Hobart, Tasmanian Midlands, Launceston and the North Coast - An Island Inheritance...Profits and Losses
35. 2012 - Western Australia - Sounding the Future
36. 2013 - Adelaide and Regional South Australia - Broad Horizons - Looking over the Hill
37. 2014 - Brisbane
38. 2015 - North of the Hunter, NSW
2005 OHTA Conference Book
Copies of the 148-page conference book are available at a cost of $17.50 (inclusive of postage and packing within Australia) from OHTA, GPO Box 676, Sydney, NSW 2001; cheques payable to Organ Historical Trust of Australia. The book includes historical and technical details of the organs visited, many accompanied by line drawings from Graeme Rushworth, together with the programmes of the various recitals and events. A mine of information on NSW organs.
Please email Dr Kelvin Hastie for more details.
2007 OHTA Conference Book
Copies of the 174-page conference book are available at a cost of $20.00 (inclusive of postage and packing within Australia) from OHTA, GPO Box 676, Sydney, NSW 2001; cheques payable to Organ Historical Trust of Australia. The book includes historical and technical details of the organs visited, many accompanied by line drawings from Graeme Rushworth, together with the programmes of the various recitals and events. A mine of information on Queensland organs.
Please email Dr Kelvin Hastie for more details.
2008 OHTA Conference Book
Copies of the 197 page 2008 conference book are available from PO Box 200 Camberwell Victoria 3124 at a cost of $25.00 inclusive of postage throughout Australia. Overseas rates upon application.
Please email John Maidment for more details.
2011 OHTA Conference Book
Please click here to purchase a copy of the 2011 Tasmanian Conference Book.
Photographs, organ specifications and information from past conferences
2011 - An Island Inheritance - Profits and Losses (Repertoire, Recitals and Instruments) - Hobart, Tasmanian Midlands, Launceston and the North Coast of Tasmania
2010 - Sydney and the Central West of New South Wales - A Diverse Heritage: organs in historic urban and rural settings in New South Wales
2009 - South Australia and the Barossa Valley - A rich and diverse palate
2008 Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula and the Goldfields region of Victoria
2007 Queensland
2006 New Zealand
Pictures and specifications of selected organs visited on the 2006 New Zealand conference
2006 Conference details
2005 Sydney and Hunter Valley
Pictures and specifications of organs visited on the 2005 Sydney & Hunter District conference
2005 Conference details
Pictures and specifications of selected organs visited on the 2004 WA conference
2004 Conference details
Pictures and specifications of selected organs visited on the 2003 Riverina conference
2003 Riverina Conference details
Pictures and specifications of selected organs visited on the 2002 Tasmanian conference
2002 Tasmanian Conference details
