Entitled A European Tour: an Organ Extravaganza, the concert is a celebration of great organ music of the world and will also highlight St Andrew’s recently restored, historic organ. Performed by acclaimed organists James Forsyth and Mervyn Olds, A European Tour is a selection of eclectic and well-known pieces from the organ repertoire ranging from the 15th Century to the present day, by composers from France, Spain, Italy, Holland, Germany, England and Australia.

James Forsyth is a retired teacher and lecturer who taught at ACU in teacher education.  He also taught in David Rumsey’s Organ & Church-music programme of the former NSW State Conservatorium of Music. For two decades until 2008 Dr Forsyth directed the choir of Holy Family Parish Church, Lindfield. He was music facilitator of St Patrick’s Seminary, Manly, and later the Seminary of the Good Shepherd, Homebush.

Mervyn Olds holds an A.Mus.A. and was taught by James Forsyth. He had 25 years as organist choir master at Scots Kirk Mosman, has shared the organ at St Andrew’s Braidwood for over 10 years and also plays at the Uniting Church at Northbridge when not in Braidwood. In business Mervyn has a B.Sc. in Metallurgy, and worked mainly in the Quality discipline.

St Andrew’s organ was built by W G Rendell (1853-1934) and was installed in St Andrews in 1904. It was commissioned with a recital by the famous organist Joseph Massey from St Andrew’s Anglican Cathedral in Sydney. It has two manuals and 12 stops in one of Rendell’s superb cases. The organ was rebuilt in 1975 by L S Waters of Adelaide, but stlll retains the most original samples of Rendell’s work extant in New South Wales. It was extensively restored in 2016.

There is no charge for the concert, however, as it is raising funds for the ongoing restoration and upkeep of the organ, it is Exit by Donation.