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Hear the restored Rieger pipe organ in Christchurch Town Hall in concert, played by resident organists MARTIN SETCHELL & NICHOLAS SUTCLIFFE
Presented by the Friends of the Christchurch Town Hall Organ Trust, supported by Venues Ōtautahi.
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Ticketing for this event is currently restricted to 300 people in the Auditorium, as per our Alert Level 2 status in line with policy from the venue management. These tickets are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis, but please do book on the waitlist if the tickets have all been allocated. If there is a level change, or if any tickets become available from returns, these will be allocated in order of those secondary bookings. We are looking forward to being able to share this with as many people as safely possible!
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The Friends of the Christchurch Town Hall Organ Trust, with support from Venues Otautahi present the annual organ curator's solo organ concert on the magnificent Rieger pipe organ in the Douglas Lilburn Auditorium.
Town Hall organist Martin Setchell will introduce and play another entertaining programme including exuberant French Romantic works by Saint--Saens (marking the centenary of his death 100 years ago in 1921), Dubois, Renaud and Widor, Mons Leidvin Takle's pulsating 'Power of Life', contrasted with meditative music (an arrangement of Samuel Barber's Adagio for strings, and a new work by Anthony Ritchie 'As-salamu alaykum' -Peace be upon you' (dedicated to the victims of the Christchurch Mosque shooting).
Martin's guest artist this year will be his assistant Nicholas Sutcliffe, organist and co-director of choirs at Christ's College.
As in previous years, admission will be FREE, with a koha donation requested. Tickets must be booked here online in advance!
Only a limited number of seats are available on a first come, first served basis.
Admission on the day will only be possible if there are any seats left!
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The pipe organ in the Christchurch Town Hall was installed in May 1997 by Rieger of Austria, 25 years after the hall opened in 1972. About 96% of the cost came from public donations and bequests, so this is truly the people’s organ. In early 2011, 12 new ranks of pipes were being installed by Rieger when the devastating earthquake struck. The organ was silenced for eight years while the building was repaired, but fortunately, it had suffered only minor damage and was fully restored by Rieger between November 2018 and January 2019. Now with a total of 4307 pipes, it was reopened by Mayor Lianne Dalziel on 6 March, 2019.
The organ’s website: www.nzorgan.com
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Christchurch city organist Martin Setchell has served as Town Hall organ curator since the Rieger pipe organ was opened in May 1997, performing an annual concert until 2010. Post-earthquakes, he worked tirelessly to preserve this iconic instrument, overseeing its restoration, and gave the first concerts when the organ was officially re-opened on 6 March, 2019.
He has also given numerous re-opening concerts on new city church organs including the Transitional Cathedral, St Paul’s Papanui, Knox Presbyterian, Oxford Terrace Baptist, and All Souls Merivale.
Recently called ‘New Zealand’s most widely-travelled concert organist’ he is an international performer who believes in promoting entertaining organ music to a wide audience. In the last 20 years he has performed in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China,Japan, and throughout New Zealand.
Born and educated in England where he was awarded his Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists, he studied at various times with Pierre Cochereau, Marie-Claire Alain, Piet Kee, and Peter Hurford. He immigrated to New Zealand in 1974 on his appointment to the University of Canterbury. After 40 years’ service, he resigned as Associate Professor of Music in 2014 in order to pursue his international performing career full-time, but continues to serve as University graduation organist. In 2008 he received a Civic Award for services to music in the community and the Town Hall organ. He has recorded 6 CDs on the Town Hall organ: Let the pealing organ blow, Bonbons for organ 1 & 2, Pink and White (an anthology of New Zealand organ music), Great Australasian Organs VII, and Resounding Aftershocks (2019 - the first recording on the restored and enhanced organ).
Martin’s website: www.organist.co.nz
