Eugene

It is great news that the Auckland Town Hall Organ is being rebuilt. It truly is a terrible instrument. The final choice for builders was between Klais, Harrison, and Manders

I think Andrew Carwood is a very good choice for DOM at St Paul's. Thankfully english cathedral's are starting to see the need for a 'conductor' to conduct the choir and not an organist. It has always seemed odd to me that Organists have by-in-large been appointed as DOMs over the years. In a place like St Paul's you need a DOM who will command the respect of the singers. It would very hard for an organist to achieve this if they dont also have significant conducting experience. Eugene Lavery Assistant Organist Auckland Cathedral of the Holy Trinity New Zealand

On the topic of odd couplers, The organ in the Paul Recital Hall at Juilliard in New York has a Pedal to Great coupler. I wonder if anyone has ever used it? Eugene Lavery Assistant Organist Holy Trinity Cathedral Auckland New Zealand

Thanks Sean, I have found that quiet practice on a foriegn organ can be useful for getting to know the instrument. Obviously Harriosns are normally the easiest organs to get used too. This can be said for the organ of Auckland Cathedral. Well the console at least! We have issues with the action and delays etc, which can throw some visiting organists. But there is nothing worse than sitting down at a console and never feeling comfortable. You get a sense that everything is out of place by a few centimetres. Anyway, I think if you show up to practice and still have notes to learn you are pretty much doomed from the start. Many thanks for your good wishes regarding my overseas studies. Juilliard will be a great experience I hope. Eugene Lavery Assistant Organist Holy Trinity Cathedral Auckland New Zealand

I think if you are planning on giving a recital on a foreign instrument the notes need to be learnt well before the recital. You are generally lucky to get more than 4 hours on cathedral organs particularly. Often some of the time you aren't allowed to practice at volume either. I like showing up with all the notes already learnt so I can spend the rest of the time on registrations and just getting used to the subtle differences of each console. I find my life is made easier by turning up with pieces that are fairly easy to register such as French toccatas and Bach. Showing up with Liszt or Howells can create a lot more work on the registration front. Eugene Lavery Assistant Organist Holy Trinity Cathedral Auckland New Zealand