Opening concert by international recitalist Margaret Phillips of the newly restored pipe organ in St John’s Church, Chichester.
The programme will include works by Handel, Samuel Wesley, the Chichester composer John Marsh and other English composers contemporary with the building of the organ.
Part of the design of the original building, and built in 1822 by the renowned Georgian organ builder G. P. England, the organ has been unplayable for the past forty years, making this concert a much-anticipated treat.
Grade I listed St John’s Church was built by private subscription in 1813. Prime among those supporting the project was John Marsh, England’s most famous diarist after Samuel Pepys and a well-known composer of the day. Marsh lived nearby, in North Pallant.
An organ was built for the new church by George Pike England, one of the leading organ builders of his day, who had rebuilt the cathedral organ in 1806. The design and position of the organ formed part of the original drawings produced for the new building by architect James Elmes.
The organ, dismantled in the 1970s to allow vital structural work to take place on the east wall of the church, has since then remained stored in parts on the gallery. Now restored by the specialist firm of Goetze & Gwynn in Worksop, it sits once again in its rightful place in the building.
International artiste Margaret Phillip’s opening recital features works by Handel, Samuel Wesley, John Marsh and other English composers contemporary with the original G.P. England organ.
Tickets for this concert are £10 and are obtainable by sending a cheque payable to The Pallant Charitable Trust together with a stamped addressed envelope to Jonathan Randall, 22 Orkney Road, Portsmouth, PO6 3UE or from the Festival of Chichester Box Office.
Organiser: The Pallant Charitable Trust (a Registered Charity)