In August 2020 we delivered a new Chorum 40 organ to Prendiville Catholic College. The organ was shipped from the UK to our dealer in Perth, Western Australia for final delivery to the school.
We are of course hoping this will inspire students at the school to take up this magnificent instrument and give them a better understanding of the organs they see at St Mary’s and St George’s Cathedrals and at the Perth Concert Hall.
Choosing a practice organ for the College
Prendiville Catholic College were very grateful to Viscount Organs and 3 Monkeys Audiovisual for the efforts in getting the digital organ to Australia. They are now looking forward to plenty of music making on there new practice instrument!
Andrew Hislop, Head of Learning Area – Performing Arts, explained to us how they’d been extremely lucky in Western Australia compared to other parts of the country during the pandemic.
They had been able to have school rehearsals for the last couple of months, and in July they started back with the St George’s Cathedral Consort doing the Sunday masses.
Prendiville Catholic College began looking into obtaining a new practise organ in 2019 to replace an older model and to increase interest among their keyboard students.
The previous organ was already old when it was donated to them and had very much served its time. We were able to provide advice on the type of organ they would require and once the school budget for 2020 was approved, they put in an order for the Chorum 40 organ.
Installing the organ was fast and seamless thanks to our Australian partner
Andrew explained how the ordering process was incredibly smooth and communication between him, myself and Francis (from 3 Monkeys Audiovisual, the installer) was very easy.
Despite everyone’s best intention at the start of the year, the pandemic meant they had to wait for the new organ – understandable since it was being built in Italy.
Though try telling that to their Year 12 organ student who really wanted to try it! Lockdowns in various countries meant we experienced delays, however now that Perth has (touch wood, fingers crossed) returned to normality, they are excited to be hearing the organ in action.
The installation was fast and seamless. Huge thanks go to the 3 Monkeys Audiovisual team who delivered and installed the instrument so the school could get straight on to the music making. The instrument has a wonderful tone, and Andrew says it can be heard regularly from his office. The Chorum 40 has been a great addition to their music department, and they are looking forward to many years of its use.
Looking at this from the UK, it is lovely to see the school more or less as normal and of course our instrument being put to good use.
Find out more about Viscount Organs in Australia
In 2019 we were delighted to announce that Viscount’s quality ‘English Voiced’ organs were more easily available in Australia. This followed a distribution and installation partnership established with 3 Monkeys AV based in Newcastle Street Perth.
You can read more about this partnership and the organs available to Schools, Churches and Individuals here – Viscount Organs Australia.
Also read about Holly, one of our Australian customers, who decided she needed a digital organ to practice at home.
If you’re considering buying a home practice instrument then we recommend reading our blog outlining our top six reasons for buying a digital home practice organ. The Lady Organist perfectly sums up the reasons why you’d need a home practice instrument in her blog – ‘Every home should have one‘.
* Feature photo of piano/organ tutor Mr David Hicks at Prendiville Catholic College
I have had a passion for church organs since the tender age of 12. I own and run Viscount Organs with a close attention to the detail that musicians appreciate; and a clear understanding of the benefits of digital technology and keeping to the traditional and emotional elements of organ playing.
