Church full to hear renovated organ played
A LARGE crowd gathered yesterday to hear the organ ring out in a historic Port Chalmers church once again.
Dunedin City Organist David Burchell and pupils Oliver Peyroux and Henry HoldenBluck played a special concert to showcase Iona Church’s newly renovated and relocated instrument.
When the organ was dismantled last year, the opportunity was taken to have the instrument renovated by the South Island Organ Company, of Timaru, to restore it to top playing condition.
Mr Burchell was looking forward to being the first person to play it since reinstallation was completed.
‘‘I’m very pleased to see it back up and playing. It’s a nice little instrument and it has a lot of charm,’’ he said.
The organ was built in 1854 for the chapel of Sherborne School in Dorset, in the United Kingdom, and was modified several times before it was acquired for Iona Church in 1929.
All organs were different, but older ones lacked modern aids to assist the player, Mr Burchell said.
However, the main challenge — playing using feet as well as hands — remained.
He was ‘‘very impressed’’ with the audience turnout, and was delighted the community was so supportive.
The organ formerly stood on the gallery in front of the large window at the end of Iona Church facing Otago Harbour, the stonework of which had become seriously damaged by erosion from the weather.
In order to access the window, the organ had to be dismantled, and the decision was made to move it to a different location, to allow easy access to the window in future and more light into the church.
Concert attendee Mel Coe said the concert felt like a treat, and her husband was involved with the restoration trust.
‘‘I’ve come with him to celebrate,’’ she said.