House concert show-stopper

Queenstown's Lindsay Williams would be one of the few Kiwis to have a magnificent-sounding cathedral organ in their home.

And, on December 1, he’s pulling out all stops to host a house concert in which the organ, and his grand piano, will be played by international concert performer Sherry Shelton — an American-raised, Bluff-based 82-year-old, who, remarkably, first performed an organ recital 70 years ago.

Williams discovered the organ in his teens, when he got a recording of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor from his sister, "and I played it till I was bored".

Lindsay Williams with his cathedral organ. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Enthralled with the instrument — "you’ve got an orchestra at your finger tips" — he first learnt it in an Invercargill church, and then in Christchurch’s former Anglican cathedral, and was pretty handy at it.

Because people want to pray in cathedrals, he was asked to tone it down, "but some of the massive pieces you can’t play quietly".

By the time he was 21 he’d given up in favour of other pursuits.

In his retirement, however, he’s rekindled his passion, and when he moved into his new Kelvin Heights home five years ago he shipped in an electronic cathedral organ made in the Netherlands.

"It has 21 speakers hidden in the house, and, for my wife’s sanity, has headphone jacks, however when unleashed it has an amazing sound."

Shelton says "I can’t think of anywhere in the country where a house would have this in it".

"Lindsay’s got it set up amazingly, and, you know, the whole house reverberates with the sound of it."

Shelton, who has three organs, two grand pianos and seven harps in her own home, has an incredible CV including not only performing but also teaching, composing, arranging and conducting, and has set up concert tours for choirs she’s trained around the world.

Her programme next Sunday includes organ favourites like Bach’s Toccata in D minor, Gabriel’s Oboe and Witor’s Toccata from his fifth organ symphony.