The Royal Festival Hall has launched a massive fundraising drive to help it 
restore its 7,866-pipe organ to its former glory.
Following the refurbishment of the hall back in 2007, only a third of the impressive instrument was fully restored and a further £1.35 million is required to complete the work over the course of the next three years.
As such, the Southbank Centre, which houses the hall, has started the campaign to raise the remainder of the cash asking the public to sponsor a pipe – ranging from 32ft long and from £30 to £10,000.
The full cost of the work stands at £2.3 million of which the centre has already received £950,000 form the Heritage Lottery Fund, with the Pull Out All The Stops campaign intended to raise the remainder.
In total, repair and cleaning is needed for some 5,000 more pipes and this is estimated to take more than two years.
An organ festival has been planned for 2014 to mark its re-launch andcelebrate the 60th anniversary of its original installation.
Alan Bishop, chief executive of the Southbank Centre, said that he hoped that the work would be completed in time for the event, which will showcase a number of prominent composers.
“Our organ is a unique and wonderful musical instrument, an iconoclastic design, and crucial to our ability to perform major works by Saint-Saens, Strauss and Faure,” he added.
Yannick Nezet-Seguin, principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, said: “Having an organ at the Southbank Centre makes a crucial difference to the scope of the repertoire that we can cover and of all international cultural centres, Southbank Centre deserves an organ that is world class.”
Indeed, repair work is due to begin in February next year, the organ should then be reinstalled in 2013 and then adjusted to take into account the new acoustic of the hall, which was improved for its re-opening.
restore its 7,866-pipe organ to its former glory.Following the refurbishment of the hall back in 2007, only a third of the impressive instrument was fully restored and a further £1.35 million is required to complete the work over the course of the next three years.
As such, the Southbank Centre, which houses the hall, has started the campaign to raise the remainder of the cash asking the public to sponsor a pipe – ranging from 32ft long and from £30 to £10,000.
The full cost of the work stands at £2.3 million of which the centre has already received £950,000 form the Heritage Lottery Fund, with the Pull Out All The Stops campaign intended to raise the remainder.
In total, repair and cleaning is needed for some 5,000 more pipes and this is estimated to take more than two years.
An organ festival has been planned for 2014 to mark its re-launch and
celebrate the 60th anniversary of its original installation.Alan Bishop, chief executive of the Southbank Centre, said that he hoped that the work would be completed in time for the event, which will showcase a number of prominent composers.
“Our organ is a unique and wonderful musical instrument, an iconoclastic design, and crucial to our ability to perform major works by Saint-Saens, Strauss and Faure,” he added.
Yannick Nezet-Seguin, principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, said: “Having an organ at the Southbank Centre makes a crucial difference to the scope of the repertoire that we can cover and of all international cultural centres, Southbank Centre deserves an organ that is world class.”
Indeed, repair work is due to begin in February next year, the organ should then be reinstalled in 2013 and then adjusted to take into account the new acoustic of the hall, which was improved for its re-opening.