‘King of instruments’: Celebrating 60 years of Trinity’s Memorial Chapel Organ

Positioned on the right hand wall of the War Memorial Chapel, the Chapel’s Pipe Organ is exactly the visually striking icon you would expect as you step into such a building. 2025 marked 60 years since it was installed in the Chapel, and whilst there have been some changes, the Organ has remained constant throughout these years of Trinity life. 

Constructed by eminent organ builders, J.W. Walker and Sons Ltd, the Chapel Organ was installed by Mr Arthur Jones, the English firm’s Australian tuner-representative. 

Mr Jones made a name for himself here in Australia, installing and restoring organs across the country, many of which are still in operation today. 

Following the Organ’s installation, it was dedicated by Bishop M Loane on 10 October, 1965 in a service that Mr D. Davies shared a little about in the 1965 edition of the Triangle, recalling the Chapel “crowded with guests and boys”. 

“The service proceeded without music until after the sentence of dedication when Mr J. Taylor, the School Organist, sounded forth the opening notes of ‘The One Hundredth’ and the congregation thrilled to the sound which filled the building.” 

Mr. Davies also noted that Mr Jones held a talk on the Organ for students a week or so before the Organ’s dedication. 

“Mr Jones will live for a long time in the memories of all who heard his talk, as an artist and as a man who is completely given over to the exercise of his musical talents.” 

He remarked that more students attended than he had expected. 

“Whether they went out of plain curiosity or because they were genuinely interested is not for me to say, but it certainly seems to indicate that boys do have an interest for this sort of thing which has never been evident in them before.” 

Over the years, this sentiment has remained. Pipe organs do evoke a sense of nostalgia and ceremony that many find quite emotional, but playing the organ can feel like a daunting pursuit, due to its size and rich history. 

Mr Oliver Stanton is the current Pipe Organist at Trinity, as well as the Co-curricular Instrumental Specialist and he says that learning to play the Pipe Organ is no small task. 

“Being a multi-instrumentalist myself, I can comfortably say that the Pipe is one of the hardest – if not the hardest – instrument one can learn to play,” he says before describing using all four limbs to play melodic lines and the task of choosing different registrations to achieve a diverse range of colours and textures in the music. 

“Leading a congregation from the Organ is a joy, but a big responsibility, largely because the instrument itself isn’t very forgiving.” 

Despite the difficulty, he knows that every note contributes to worship in an irreplaceable way. 

“We are incredibly privileged to appreciate music the way we do here at Trinity, as it’s one of the highest forms of expression. 

“Particularly in Chapel services, it allows the staff and students an opportunity to sing hymns together. In my opinion, singing together is a vital part of worship, as it expresses emotions far more beautifully and deeper than words alone.” 

Three years after Trinity’s Chapel Organ was installed, the console was moved from the Organ Gallery to the Chapel level, so that the Organist could better lead the singing and hear the sound from the body of the Chapel –this is where the console remains today. In 1986, the Organ underwent restoration by Peter D.G. Jewkes and Co, with new pipework supplied by the German firm, Laukhuff.  

This week, the Chapel plays host to the traditional Nine Lessons and Carols services, a highlight in the Christmas calendar and a fantastic opportunity to see the role the Organ plays in the life of the School 60 years after its installation. 

Mr Stanton says that even now, four years into being Trinity’s Pipe Organist, the Nine Lessons and Carols services remain very special to him. 

“In particular, the carols ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ and ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’, stand out as favourites of mine,” he says, describing their familiarity and warmth. “The particular arrangement for Organ and Choir we use creates an opportunity to explore the upper limits of the instrument. Both end with a soaring vocal line, and this is supported by combining all the divisions of the organ to create a very loud and impressive sound – quite literally, pulling out all the stops!”

In the same year the Organ came to Trinity, Messrs J.W. Hogg and A.B. Kerrigan wrote: 

“The Chapel is for all: it is for present boys and for Old Boys, and for countless generations yet to come. To all alike it recalls and will always recall, the deepest meanings of their School: and to all alike it teaches and will ever teach the eternal paradox that when men bow the knee in the presence of their God they grow in stature.”