The Organ

The strong Victorian tradition of choral and organ music continued to flourish at the time of the Hall's construction and even a small city like Edinburgh sustained at least three organ building businesses. 

The Usher Hall organ was designed to be the focal point of the Hall, not just visually but musically. By 1912, the city was ready to find the best candidate to build the organ and after extensive investigation, Norman Beard of London was awarded the contract. The original organ, installed late in 1913 was of outstanding quality and design, constructed on the grandest scale with a Spanish mahogany case built by Adam Currie of Edinburgh.

The significance of the organ to the Usher Hall was acknowledged and cherished by the Usher Hall Organ Trust. The Trust raised some £565,000 to restore the organ with generous support from individuals, the Foundation for Sport and the Arts, the City of Edinburgh Council and a lottery grant from the Scottish Arts Council.

In spring 2002 the vast job of re-installing the organ began after over a year of restoration in the care of renowned company Harrison & Harrison. The organ had been carefully dismantled into hundreds of separate parts and placed around the Durham workshops in rooms dedicated to different aspects of the organ restorer's craft. Using the most traditional techniques and tools, original materials such as traditional glue and reclaimed ivory, skilled craftsmen have treated, cleaned and restored every inch of the original instrument. The blower room which powers the organ has also been completely renewed and humidity controls installed.

The restoration work took three years to complete and the organ was reinstall during 2002. The organ was reinaugrated on the 7th June 2003 in a celebrity concert recital with Dame Gillian Weir. A special commission The Rise of the House of Usher was written with funding from Scottish Arts Council and performed at the inauguration concert. Besides being involved in concert work the organ will also serve as a vital educational tool for the city.

In December 2002, John Kitchen was appointed as the city organist with performance and curatorial duties for the organ. The organ is used in concerts and recitals by resident and visiting orchestras and ensembles. Our programming has promoted the organ and organ music through various initiatives and concerts, and the series of Get Organised! lunchtime concerts have proved to be incredibly popular