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New Zealand

New Zealand is home to an exceptional variety of fine pipe organs, from the second oldest pipe organ in Australasia that remains in close to original form: a small instrument built in England in 1779 and exported to New Zealand in the 19th century, to the largest musical instruments in the country: the Grand Organ in the Auckland Town Hall, opened in 2010, and the Grand Organ in Holy Trinity Cathedral, Auckland, opened in 2017.

The culture of the pipe organ in New Zealand has taken inspiration from the progress of the instrument in the UK and Europe. In addition to proving fertile ground for the importation of many pipe organs from Britain and Europe, a New Zealand organ building industry developed in the 19th century and remains active to this day.

While most of the country’s pipe organs are found in cathedrals and churches from Auckland to Dunedin, New Zealand is also home to world-famous concert organs in the country’s largest public halls.

The music performed on these Kings of Instruments by generations of New Zealand organists has been enjoyed by countless New Zealanders for over 150 years.

It is ANZCO’s mission to build a sustainable community of organists so that this invaluable musical inheritance, left to us in trust by generations of our musical forebears, is improved for future generations of New Zealanders.

Since the Official Launch of ANZCO in New Zealand on Friday 13 April 2012, the College has busily presented educational and cultural programmes around the country and the highly successful ANZCO NZ International Organ Academies.

ANZCO NZ International Organ Academies

ANZCO NZ International Organ Academies, with action-packed days of fun and learning, private tuition, masterclasses and public performances, have been held in Auckland in January 2013, Wellington in July 2014, Dunedin in January 2016 and Napier in January 2018.

NextGENZ

ANZCO also presents NextGENZ - an exciting nationwide series of concerts by young organists from Northland to the Deep South.

STTOPPERS

STTOPPERS: the Students’ Trans-Tasman Organ PERformance Scheme gives young organists from New Zealand and Australia the unique opportunities: to play, hear and experience new instruments; to have learning and performance opportunities on those instruments and to meet other young organists and make new contacts with other students, teachers and performers.

The College of Organists also presents education programmes in schools around New Zealand.

The Memorandum of Understanding with the New Zealand Association of Organists ensures that duplication of effort with that organisation is kept to a minimum, and that opportunities to work alongside its affiliated associations for particular projects are taken wherever possible.

To find out more about ANZCO’s work in New Zealand,
please email our New Zealand National Director: Nicholas Forbes.

To learn more about ANZCO events in New Zealand, you can read ANZCO NZ Bulletins:

ANZCO NZ Bulletin - September 2017; Volume 5: Issue 2

To see more about the many and varied activities of ANZCO in New Zealand, and to further understand what we do, please read our previous Bulletins:

ANZCO NZ Bulletin - May 2017; Volume 5: Issue 1

ANZCO NZ Bulletin - July 2016; Volume 4: Issue 1

ANZCO NZ Bulletin - November 2015; Volume 3: Issue 4

ANZCO NZ Bulletin - August 2015; Volume 3: Issue 3

ANZCO NZ Bulletin - May 2015; Volume 3: Issue 2

ANZCO NZ Bulletin - March 2015; Volume 3: Issue 1

ANZCO NZ Bulletin - August 2014; Volume 2: Issue 2

ANZCO NZ Bulletin - March 2014; Volume 2: Issue 1