Hello
Introducing myself to the forum, I'm Stephen Austin from Poulton-le-Fylde, near Blackpool (well, someone has to be), Lancashire.
Since a very early age, the organ has fascinated me - my earliest, if hazy recollection is going to church, right across the road from our house in Yiewsley, and sitting in the front pew, in front of which sat "the organist" screened from view by a blue curtain hung on a brass rail. My parents did not quite how to handle this child's desire to play an organ, and imagine my disgust when for my tenth birthday, I was given a Magnus Reed Organ - 12 chords !!! It was NOT the Hammond Organ I had hoped for from the Ideal Home Exhibition, the one which Ena Baga allowed me to play.
Piano lessons were a must, said the local organ teacher, so off I set on the road that would hopefully lead me to organ lessons, which they did eventually with Roy Wise of Ingatestone and later Shenfield achieving Grade 8 with Distinction at the age of 19, by which time I had left school with Music A level and not much else, and started immediately as assistant to the Musical Director of Hammond Organ UK - George Blackmore FRCO. As I started the Grade 8 syllabus, I also commenced theatre organ lessons with John Stewart, house organist at the Gaumont State Theatre, Kilburn.
On being transferred (to my delight) to Boosey & Hawkes' Cavendish Organ Centre in Margaret Street, West End, I was appointed organ demonstrator and first "in-house" tutor for B & H's organ and piano customers, teaching among others a Saudi princess, Anne French journalist, the daughter of the Secretary to the US Ambassador and giving Roy Castle a few organ lessons - enough for him to be asked to launch a new range of Lowrey Organ (I think)
SInce moving "oop North" in 1974 to run in partnership my own organ retail shop, time have changed, and the retail business has gone (our decision) and now teaching privately - full time, thankfully - piano, organs electronic and pipe, theory and (gulp!) home keyboards, including two full Adult Education classes per week.
In 1992 I decided to become a pupil once again, and over the next few years, studied with a local organist and took Grade 4 - 8 all over again, gaining Merit at Grade 5 and Distinction in all the rest.
Although I have various diplomas for piano, I would dearly love to study for similar in the organ - anyone out there willing to take on a "mid-50's" student in this area?
As active on the theatre organ concert scene as time will allow - as well as playing in various churches combining the playing of their church organ and our electronic organ with whistles and bells!
Secretary of the local organ society, good cook, model railway enthusiast, avid sheet music collector, gardening when I have to (leave that to partner) and currently trying to prove that a cousin (long departed) was an organ builder working for Compton in the '30's......more of that in another thread.
That's me!
Thanks for reading.