David Last
David born in Ipswich on 21st February 1969 his interest in music began pre- school and then with piano lessons at seven. He worked his way through the Royal School of Music Associated Board’s examinations and passed at Grade 8 with distinction, with that success David auditioned with some 50 other pupils, they were…‘members of the Incorporated Society of Musician’s’, he was chosen to take part in a concert held at the local Town Hall, May 1986 and David’s performance on the Steinway grand piano of the Fantasia in D Minor – K397 by WA Mozart generated great appreciation. Interest in the organ began with an electronic instrument post attending a Mark Shakespeare concert at the Ipswich Corn Exchange. He soon acquired an instrument of his own on which he was self taught. He discovered an ex-cinema ‘Christie pipe organ’ in his local church, and then becoming a member of the Ipswich Light Organ Music Society, (to which the organ belonged) that enabled him to further develop his organ interest. After practice at the Christie he was able to enter the cinema Organ Society’s competition for young theatre organists, at that time held annually at the Electronic and Pipe Organ Convention at Gunton Hall in Suffolk on the Compton theatre organ installed there. David won the Society’s 1987 ‘Young Theatre Organist of the Year’ trophy. He was offered tuition at the Cinema Organ Society’s 4 manual 23 rank Wurlitzer, (formally installed at the Trocadero Elephant and Castle) which was at that time installed at the South Bank University in London. He became resident organist of the Ipswich Light Organ Music Society at the age of eighteen and played his first full concert for the Society on his 19th birthday. He plays annually for the Society as part of their season of celebrity concerts. Early 1990’s, Nigel Ogden and the BBC recording engineers went to the Castle Hill Church in Ipswich to record David at the Christie. Much of the recordings have since been broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 programme “The Organist Entertains”.(alas now no longer broadcast)
David’s present instruments for concerts at clubs and societies. are the Roland AT900C, Roland AT350C, Yamaha D Deck, Yamaha Stagea ELS02C, Yamaha Genos and PSR SX-900.
Ack:- to Organfax
