Chronicle January 2021

4 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

A Musical Legacy A generous donation from the estate of Robert Sutherland Rattray OSE has enabled us to purchase the magnificent digital Phoenix Organ now installed in the Olivier Hall, and to establish a musical instrument fund. Robert, who died in 2018, was in Cowell’s from 1963 – 1967. He was heavily involved in the musical life of the School, playing clarinet in the orchestra and singing in the choir. He went on to Edinburgh University before embarking on a long and successful career as an artist manager, becoming Joint Chief Executive of Askonas Holt, one of the world’s leading arts management companies, in 1998. Robert was made an MBE in the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours and joined the Metropolitan Opera in the same year as the company’s Assistant General Manager for Artistic Administration. School Organist Gabriele Damiani says, ‘It has been wonderful to witness the installation of the new Phoenix digital organ, which has provided the Olivier Hall with a fresh and powerful musical voice. Every detail of the console, from its keyboards to its cup-and-dagger crested music desk, has been carefully designed and crafted to produce a pleasing feel to the player and a stunning visual appearance for the audience.

Gabriele Damiani, Organist

The instrument delivers an amazing variety of timbres, from intimate strings and flutes to colourful solo combinations, from supportive foundation stops for choral singing to imposing full sound blasts. Once the ‘voicing’ process is complete and the sound finely adapted to the unique acoustics of its surroundings, this organ will be an indispensable part of the Teddies experience, leading school singing, supporting choirs and orchestras and no doubt inspiring generations of pupils to come. Organ students will be encouraged to play it, of course, giving them the thrill of

performing on a very large instrument, arguably the only one of its size, kind and quality in Oxford. I continue to feel very privileged to be the School Organist at this exciting time.’ Robert’s legacy to St Edward’s will be felt – and heard – by many, and we extend our thanks to Robert's mother and late father, and to his partner, Peter Bloor. The organ was produced by Phoenix Organs UK. The stop specification was devised by Gabriele based on the ‘English Cathedral’ model and is an exact copy of the organ in the St Edward’s Chapel.