Scotch College

McDonald Family Pipe Organ Bursary

WORDS: MR DAVID BROWN - SCOTCH COLLEGE ORGANIST AND MRS ASTRIDA COOPER – DEVELOPMENT Office

The recently established McDonald Family Pipe Organ Bursary has created an opportunity for two current students to undergo organ tuition at Scotch. At a recent assembly, Michael Heighway, a 19 year-old English GAP student and the recipient of a prestigious organ scholarship to Christ Church, Oxford, played and then addressed the boys, inviting expressions of interest in organ lessons. Ronald Zhang (Year 9) and Jacob Daffy (Year 10) were selected to commence lessons.

Since the installation of the Hill Norman and Beard organ in 2003, Scotch boys have enjoyed hearing this fine organ three times a week before and after assemblies, and have sung the hymn and doxology with gusto to the organ’s accompaniment. The organ has also featured at Old Boy reunions and special events throughout the year, such as Presentation Night and the Christmas Carol Service. Several overseas guests have performed on the organ including Clive Driskill-Smith (who played at the opening recital), Felix Hell, David Goode and Matthias Giesen. It was also possible for Aidan Chu (Year 12), to play the Hamer Hall organ during the 2009 Foundation Day Concert.

Scotch has a proud tradition of producing organists; probably the most well known being John Mallinson (’51), who was the organist at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne. Scotch is grateful to Donald McDonald (’38) for his foresight ‘to help some student with his pipe organ tuition … I was able to rattle off a few times myself on the church organ ….’. This bursary will continue the tradition. GS

For further information about supporting organ tuition at Scotch, please contact John Da Cruz in the Development Office on 03 9810 4300 or email

john.dacruz@scotch.vic.edu.au.