John Farnsworth Hall
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Unsubst". John Farnsworth Hall (8 December 1899 – 15 June 1987[1]) was an Australian conductor and violinist.
Background
John Farnsworth Hall was born in Petersham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, in 1899. He was an original violin student at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (then known as the NSW State Conservatorium), under its founding director Henri Verbrugghen.[1] He was appointed deputy leader of the New South Wales State Orchestra.[1]
He was a member of the Farmers Trio, a pioneering radio chamber trio, in 1923. The other members were Horace Keats, piano, and John Boatwright, cello.[2]
Career
He went to London to further his career, and played under various notable conductors. He harboured an ambition to be a conductor himself, and while on tour in New Zealand, he was given an opportunity to conduct when Henri Verbrugghen fell ill.[1]
He then became leader and deputy conductor of the new Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO). In 1946, Hall conducted the first performance by the SSO of Mozart's Flute Concerto No. 2 in D (an arrangement of his Oboe Concerto in C, K. 314), with Neville Amadio as soloist.[3]
In 1947 he was appointed the first resident conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO).[4][5] During his time there, he introduced the symphonies of Ralph Vaughan Williams to Queensland concert-goers.[6] Conducting the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, featuring soprano Tatjana Hitrina, he covered Auber's Fra Diavolo, Khachaturian's Masquerade and others including "Knowest thou the Land". It was broadcast on ABC radio at 9:15 pm Wednesday 11 November 1953.[7] He made a classic recording of Alfred Hill's piece for narrator and orchestra, Green Water, with the QSO and the speaker Peter Munro in 1954.[8]
From 1954 he was conductor in residence of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.[9][10][11][12]
Later years
He retired from conducting in 1965, and died in 1987, aged 87. He was survived by his third wife and a daughter, both named Deirdre and grandchildren Brendan and Chapin Ayres.[1]
References
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- ↑ a b c d e Sydney Morning Herald, Obituary, 16 June 1987 Script error: No such module "webarchive".. Retrieved 2 March 2016
- ↑ Horace Keats: Early Broadcasting Days Script error: No such module "webarchive".
- ↑ Sydney Symphony: Viennese ClassicsScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Our Queensland Script error: No such module "webarchive".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ The ABC Weekly, Volume 15, No. 45 November 7, 1953 - Page 31 MUSIC LOVER'S DIARY, WEDNESDAY, November 11
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Albany Hall Town Theatre Script error: No such module "webarchive".
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