Historic Dunedin pipe organ of 1863 in concert, played by David Burchell

I’m David Burchell, City Organist in Dunedin, New Zealand; keyboard player, choral and orchestral conductor and music teacher. During lockdown, opportunities for me to perform and teach have been seriously curtailed. But I have a historic pipe organ in my music room which I use for practice. I’ve taken the opportunity to make a short video concert to showcase the instrument, playing three characterful pieces by Whitlock, Karg-Elert and Salome. This is its first public performance since I purchased it 15 years ago.  The video includes details of the history of the instrument, which dates from 1863 and is one of New Zealand’s oldest instruments, and retains most of its original mechanisms and stop-list.

I’m seeking your support to cover the costs of making this video, and to fund repairs to the instrument so that I can preserve it in good condition for future generations to enjoy. Immediate needs include leather to repair the wind system, new adjustment buttons for the key mechanisms, and professional repairs to a small number of metal pipes, and with further finance a start can be made on revealing and restoring the original pipe-decoration.