Famous organ is re-dedicated after revamp

The Right Reverend Dr John Sentamu took a service at Selby Abbey last night to celebrate the generosity, hard work and effort by many to see the organ restored to its former glory.

Appeal director Jeremy Gaskell said, “We are thrilled that, with the support of so many, we have been able to save such an important part of our national music heritage and are enormously grateful to the Archbishop for his Patronage of the appeal.”

There will be a Grand Celebration Concert on Friday September 9 at 7.30pm to mark the completion of the Hill Organ restoration.

Tickets, including interval wine, are priced at £25 (the Nave) and £12.50 (the Choir) and are on sale in the Abbey shop and through the appeal website: www.selbyabbeyorganappeal.org.uk.

The concert will feature the Royal Northern Sinfonia with conductor Adrian Partington and Organists John Scott Whiteley and D’Arcy Trinkwon.

Both organists are well known internationally and Mr Scott Whiteley was a pupil of the legendary Fernando Germani in Italy whose iconic LP recordings at Selby in the 1960s spread the sound of the Selby Hill around the world.

The concert is dedicated to his memory.

The internationally famous organ dates back to 1909 and is said to be a magnificent example of one of the most highly respected organ builders, William Hill & Son.

Many celebrated concert organists have played on the Selby Abbey Hill.

But it was the three iconic LP recordings in the early 1960s by the Italian virtuoso Fernando Germani, arguably the greatest organist of all time, which gave it global attention. In 2012 it became clear that the organ was in need of a complete restoration.