This charity (SC 041021) was launched in March 2010, with Dundee-born international concert organist, Gordon Stewart, as Honorary President.

The Friends were delighted when the instrument was awarded a Grade 1 Historic Organ Certificate by the British Institute of Organ Studies in 2011. An STV News programme about the award can be viewed via this link. The item about the organ is about 14 minutes in to the programme.

Since the charity's launch the Friends have raised substantial funds to assist with the development of the organ and organ-related educational activities. Among the initiatives have been a memorable recital by Carlo Curley on 1 June 2010, a showing of the silent film The Phantom of the Opera accompanied by Nigel Ogden at the organ in November and a very successful fundraising sponsored Organathon on 26 February 2011 when the organ was played practically non-stop for six hours by a relay of nineteen players including City Organist Stuart Muir and the Friends' Honorary President, Gordon Stewart.

See www.focho.org for full details of the Friends' activities.

Why not join the Friends and support this exciting venture?

Please send your name, address, postcode and email address to:
The Friends of the Caird Hall Organ
Caird Hall
City Square
DUNDEE
DD1 3BB
Scotland
or email: cairdfriends@live.com

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From Perth, Scotland to Melbourne
- via Perth, Australia!

The organ formerly in the City Hall in Perth, Scotland, is now installed
in Haileybury College, Keysborough, Melbourne, having been rebuilt
by Pipe Organs W.A. of Perth, Australia.

The Inaugural Recital was given on Sunday 17 May 2009
by Thomas Heywood, who has acted as Consultant for the project.

The instrument was built by John R Miller around 1884 for the original Perth City Hall. Miller enlarged it when he moved it to the "new" City Hall in 1911. It was rebuilt and further enlarged, with a new 4-manual console, by Henry Willis III in 1957. Rushworth & Dreaper installed a solid state capture system in 1980. When the new Perth Concert Hall was opened in 2005, the City Hall closed and the organ became redundant. The Council was keen that the organ should find a new home, as a result of which it was gifted to an Australian school that was seeking to install an instrument capable of filling a large auditorium. The organ was shipped to Australia by Pipe Organs W.A., who have installed it in Aikman Hall, Haileybury College, Keysborough, Victoria. You can view the specification and the rebuilding work on the organ builders' website: http://www.pipeorganswa.com.au/miller.html

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