Ballarat Theatre Organ Society News 2016

The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society held their 2016 concert at Her Majesty’s Theatre on the 17th April.   The principal artist Scott Harrison, is the Kingston City Organist (Melbourne) and showed his virtuosity on the Compton Theatre Organ.    He played a variety of music and joined with Joshua Woods, saxophonist, in several items.  Joshua is a local lad who received a Ballarat Arts Foundation Grant in 2015 before being accepted into the Victorian College of the Arts to study Jazz.   Another BAF Grant recipient, Phillip Coyle intrigued the audience by playing the Frame Drum at the start of the concert.  The unusual sound of this drum echoed around the dark auditorium from different areas and it was explained that for thousands of years. the frame drum has been used to call people together for happenings and events.  
Soloists from the Philip Johnston School of Music showed their skills and there were many comments such as “ Ballarat has such amazing talent.”  And “Loved those singers”  Philip was the accompanist.
 
Scott has played theatre organs in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and USA.   He had not played the Compton before and after the concert, described it as “The finest small theatre organ I have played.  The tonal quality of the Compton was outstanding, as was the way the instrument sounded in the Theatre”   Scott will be playing in the UK later in the year.