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Birmingham City Organist is an appointment made by the City of
Birmingham City Organist is an appointment made by the City of Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
. The purpose of the appointment is to have an organist for civic occasions and who will provide a series of free public organ recitals.
Birmingham Town Hall
Birmingham Town Hall is a concert hall and venue for popular assemblies opened in 1834 and situated in Victoria Square, Birmingham, England. It is a Grade I listed building.
The hall underwent a major renovation between 2002 and 2007. It no ...
is the traditional home of the City Organist, and it was under the third City Organist, James Stimpson, that the popular weekly recitals began. So popular were the recitals that audiences of around 1,500 packed in every Monday evening in the 1840s.
The weekly recitals, now held on Monday at lunch time, have continued to the present day. With the re-opening of a renovated and rejuvenated Town Hall in October 2007 some concerts returned to their home in Town Hall, Birmingham with others performed at Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Symphony Hall is a 2,262 seat concert venue in Birmingham, England. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 12 June 1991, although it had been in use since 15 April 1991. It is home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and hos ...
on the Klais Orgelbau
Orgelbau Klais is a German firm that designs, builds and restores pipe organs. It is a family run company, founded in 1882 by Johannes Klais senior and is now run by his great-grandson Philipp Klais. The firm is based in Bonn, Germany, and has co ...
organ.
List of Birmingham City Organists
*Thomas Munden 1834–1837 *George Hollins
George Hollins (16 March 1809 - 16 December 1841) was an organist and composer who lived in Birmingham, West Midlands.
Life
He was born on 16 March 1809, the son of William Hollins (1763-1843) architect and sculptor, and Catherine Holebrooke (17 ...
1837–1841
*James Stimpson
James Stimpson (29 February 1820 – 4 October 1886) was a British cathedral organist and Birmingham City Organist.
Early life
He was born in Lincoln, England, on 29 February 1820, the son of William Stimpson and Rebecca Dannett. William was la ...
1842–1886 (formerly organist of Carlisle Cathedral
Carlisle Cathedral is a grade-I listed Anglican cathedral in the city of Carlisle, Cumbria, England. It was founded as an Augustinian priory and became a cathedral in 1133. It is also the seat of the Bishop of Carlisle.Tim Tatton-Brown and John ...
)
*Charles William Perkins
Charles William Perkins (4 October 1855 - 2 August 1927) was Birmingham City Organist from 1888 to 1923.
Life
He was born in 1855 the son of Robert A Perkins, jeweller, and Hannah.
He studied organ under Andrew Deakin, organist of the Church of ...
1888–1923
* George Dorrington Cunningham 1924–1948
*Sir George Thalben-Ball
Sir George Thomas Thalben-Ball (18 June 1896 – 18 January 1987) was an Australian organist and composer who spent almost all his life in England.
Early life
George Thomas Ball (he later took the additional name of "Thalben") was born in Sydn ...
1949–1983
* Thomas Trotter 1983–present day
References
{{Reflist Music in Birmingham, West Midlands Culture in Birmingham, West Midlands English organists