Thomas Wilson Photo: Keith Saunders
Thomas Wilson is returning home to headline the Waikato Organ Festival which takes place over King's Birthday Weekend in Kirikiriroa Hamilton.
He's this year's Festival Recitalist and will perform a concert of solo organ works at St Peter's Cathedral.
Thomas talks with Bryan Crump about his career since leaving New Zealand, which has included the role of Assistant Organist at Westminster Cathedral, London, and Music Director at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney - a position he held for 13 years.
He remembers seeing the organ pipes in his school chapel at age six or seven, and being impressed by the instrument. But it was at St Paul's Collegiate School and with the encouragement of organist and Director of Music Nigel Williams that his organ playing really took off.
There's a lot of extra commitment involved in learning the instrument - most people don't have an organ at home.
"If I ever wanted to play the organ," says Thomas, "it was always a matter of nagging one of my parents to take me to a church, then nagging a priest to unlock the organ for me and let me have some time to play."
"You've got to be a bit mad on the instrument, you've got to be obsessed. Otherwise you just wouldn't make it work."
Thomas Wilson - Festival Organ Concert
2pm, Saturday 3 June, St Peter's Cathedral, Hamilton
Music by J S Bach, Mozart, Buxtehude, Walton, Dupré, Nigel Williams and Douglas K Mews
