John Scott, regarded as one of the leading concert organists in the world, will bring his “Rolls Royce”-quality music to Johannesburg and Pretoria audiences in August.
Scott’s much-anticipated concerts form part of the series of visiting organists performing on the splendid new Rieger organ at St George’s Church, Parktown. The series continues until February 2013.
The UK-born, US-based Scott was organist of St Paul’s Cathedral in London for many years, where he played for the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
He will be performing at 19h30 on Monday, 13th August and Wednesday, 15th August 2012 at St George’s in Parktown; at 20h00 on Tuesday, 14th August 2012 at St Mary’s Cathedral in central Johannesburg; and at 19h30 on Thursday, 16th August 2012 in the ZK Matthews Hall, UNISA, in Pretoria.
The same programme will be repeated for the two concerts at St George’s, as demand for tickets is expected to be high, and the church seats only 210 people. However, a completely different programme will be played at St Mary’s Cathedral, and yet another at UNISA, promising a rich and varied offering for aficionados of beautiful organ music.
The church has scored a coup in securing this four-concert Gauteng tour by Scott, who was awarded the LVO (Lieutenant of the Victorian Order) by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the royal household as director of music and organist at St Paul’s Cathedral from 1990 to 2004.
His work at St Paul’s involved the training and direction of the choir, and the overseeing and development of the cathedral’s busy music programme.
He was responsible for the music at a number of high-profile events, including the National Service of Thanksgiving for the Millennium; the services to mark the 100th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen Mother; the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen (for which he was asked to compose an anthem); as well as the service held on 14 September 2001 following the terrorist atrocities in the USA.
Under his direction, the St Paul’s Cathedral Choir toured extensively in Europe, Japan, and North and South America, made many recordings, worked with a number of distinguished orchestras and ensembles and gave world premieres of many works commissioned especially for them, including a setting of the Evening Canticles by St George’s own composer in residence, Richard Pantcheff.
In 2004, after 26 years of serving in varying capacities at St Paul’s, Scott took up the post of organist and director of music at Saint Thomas Church in New York.
His career as a recitalist has taken him to five continents, and what distinguishes him is his uncanny ability to play great music so well that even those who do not usually enjoy the organ cannot help but be captivated.
Booking for John Scott’s concerts on 13th, 14th and 15th August 2012 is open at Computicket.
For enquiries about the concerts at St George’s only, please phone (011) 482-1606, or email music@stgeorges.co.za .
For enquiries about the concert at St Mary’s Cathedral, please email Sidney.Place@worldonline.co.za . For the performance at St Mary’s Cathedral at 20h00 on Tuesday 14th August, ‘park-and-ride’ buses will be leaving the Johannesburg College of Education at Wits (the Linder Auditorium) in St Andrew’s Road, at 19h30.
For enquiries about the concert at UNISA, please contact the Secretary of the Department of Music, the University of Pretoria (please note: not UNISA) on (012) 420-2316.