John Farnsworth Hall (8 December 1899 – 15 June 1987[1]) was an Australian conductor and violinist.

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]

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] 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.[7]

From 1954 he was conductor in residence of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.[8][9][10][11]

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.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Sydney Morning Herald, Obituary, 16 June 1987 Archived 17 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 March 2016
  2. ↑ Horace Keats: Early Broadcasting Days Archived November 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ Sydney Symphony: Viennese Classics
  4. ↑ "History of ABC Orchestras and Bands" (PDF). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  5. ↑ Our Queensland Archived July 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "Courier-Mail, 28 September 1954, Dr Robert Dalley-Scarlett, John Farnsworth Hall ... An Appreciation". Trove. 28 September 1954. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  7. ↑ "ABC Classic FM Music Listing, 7 April 2012". Saturdays & Sundays 6:00am - 9:00am with Colin Fox. Abc.net.au. 10 June 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  8. ↑ Albany Hall Town Theatre Archived August 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ "Portrait of John Farnsworth Hall, conductor". Trove. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  10. ↑ Pope, Brian (2000). "Lorna Crawford McKean (1914–1963)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 15. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  11. ↑ "Concert Programmes". Arts and Humanities Research Council. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
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