Lecturer Music course Dr John Wells
Dr Wells is Auckland City Organist, Organist to the University of Auckland, and Visiting Artist-Teacher (Organ) at the Auckland University School of Music. As City Organist, he instigated the project to rebuild the Auckland Town Hall organ; after nine years' planning, this has now been contracted out to Klais Orgelbau in Bonn, Germany. The new organ should be in place by 2010.
One of NZ's most respected and widely-travelled organists, Dr John Wells was Organ Scholar at King's College Chapel, Cambridge and received his Doctorate with high distinction from Indiana University where he studied under Oswald Ragatz. He maintains a busy schedule as performer, composer and teacher. He is a regular broadcaster on New Zealand radio and has made seven CDs, including NZ's very first organ disc; he has recorded the whole of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier on the organ .
He has a long association with choral music including a time as Deputy Conductor of the world-famous NZ National Youth Choir. He is Organist for Musica Sacra. He is an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and undertakes regular tours to the Far East.
He is busier than ever as a composer: recent works include his Fifth Organ Suite and a chorale fantasia on Cwm Rhondda , a festive anthem for Nelson Cathedral's 2005 commemoration of Trafalgar Day and the Well-Tempered Piano , thirty preludes and fugues in all the keys (28 have been completed so far). His Organ Concerto was performed last February in Melbourne Town Hall. In June 2002 he was elected Fellow of the New Zealand Association of Organists for his services to organ music in New Zealand; he is a Patron of this organisation with Dame Gillian Weir. Having toured Europe and Australia in 2005 and 2006 respectively, this year he 'tours at home', with seven solo concerts booked in Auckland city and suburbs alone in addition to other concerts around the country. In 2008 he will again tour England and Germany.