Music – History of Pipe Organ:

Dr John Wells’ lectures
The History of the Organ

will begin again in 2011

www.JohnWells.co.nz

Lecturer: Dr John Wells

With so many bewildering changes in liturgical styles today, the organ is often regarded as an expensive irrelevance; or ideas about the organ are affectionate but sentimental and unrealistic.  Dr Wells traces some of the surprising twists and turns in the history of the world's oldest keyboard instrument and looks at its often uneasy relationship with the Church.  The course will include live performances of liturgical organ music by the lecturer.

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 New Zealand'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 in the United States 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 .

Dr Wells' course will be held on Thursday evenings at 6.00 pm and will consist of a one-hour lecture followed by questions. You will be greeted with a complimentary glass of wine and nibbles at the beginning of each lecture! Most lectures will be held in the Undercroft with at least three to be held in the Cathedral proper where Dr Wells will give demonstrations using the Cathedral organ.

For further information:

www.johnwells.co.nz