Breathing Life into an historic organ

AN appreciative audience gathered at St Paul’s Anglican Church Clunes to hear an extraordinary recital by a most gifted young organist. Gillian McNaughton performed on the recently restored Hamlin organ, one of only two known to still exist in the world – the other being in England.

At 22 McNaughton has the most amazing command of an intricate piece of musical instrument. As a child she learnt the piano and violin and it was while she was singing in the church choir at her home town of Waikanae, north of Wellington in New Zealand that one of those serendipitous moments occurred. The regular organist was ill and the Parish choirmaster Peter Godfrey asked her to play. The rest, as they say, is history. At age 17 McNaughton received an organ scholarship at Wellington Cathedral, which was followed by another organ scholarship at Guildford Cathedral in the United Kingdom.

These scholarships provided McNaughton with what was really an apprenticeship in learning the art of playing the organ.

“I was given the most wonderful opportunity to watch, listen and learn.

There is no better way to immerse oneself in the variety and breadth of music making available to an organist,” she said.

“In Australia there is less of a tradition of scholarships like this, but I would encourage any Year 11 or Year 12 student interested in music to consider pursuing a scholarship. I taught students to read music, worked closely with the new probationary choristers and, in time, I played at services and conducted. It is a challenge, but a most rewarding one.”

With such a talent and love of organ playing McNaughton has chosen not to become a full-time organist. Rather she is completing a Bachelor of Biomedicine at the University of Melbourne and hopes to go onto to study medicine next year. The organ is never far from her though and while studying she has been the Senior Organ Scholar at Trinity College at the University of Melbourne.

McNaughton chose for her program European composers and a contemporary New Zealand composer. While rehearsing on the restored Hamlin organ, that dates back to 1881, Gillian changed her program.

“Every organ is a challenge and a joy.

Each is completely different. After getting used to the Hamlin I decided to change from the Mendelssohn Sonata to a French composer Louis-Nicolas Clerambault,” Gillian said.