Wurlitzer Organ Concert: David Lobban and Damon Cox

Experience the Magnificence of the Wurlitzer Theatre Organ at the Assembly Hall.

Worthing’s wonderful Wurlitzer is one of the largest theatre organs in England.  The sound you hear is produced from over 1,500 organ pipes installed in the two organ chambers located behind the grilles either side of the stage. The pipes range from 2 inches to 16 feet in length. Alongside these pipes are real percussion instruments - a Xylophone, Sleigh Bells, Drums, Cymbals and even a set of Cathedral Chimes!    The organ is a powerful instrument using air produced by two 5KW blowers housed under the stage.   The console is also housed under the stage but rises majestically to its playing position on a lift - as all proper theatre organs should.

In the mid 1970’s the organ was acquired by Jim Buckland and the Sussex Theatre Organ Trust, and was rebuilt and installed in the Worthing Assembly Hall.  The organ was opened in 1981 and was later enlarged from 10 ranks (sets of pipes) to 23 ranks following the acquisition of an organ from the BBC.  As part of this enhancement the organ was tonally finished (i.e. adjusted to suit the hall it was in) by leading American technicians, so that what you hear now is one of the finest theatre organs in Europe.

David Lobban

David has been playing organ and piano ever since he completed his apprenticeship as a pipe organ builder with Hill, Norman & Beard in 1977. In that year he emigrated to Canada and played organ in a number of venues including ice hockey stadia and circuses.

On his return to the UK in 1988 David had a number of different jobs including Resident Organist at ‘The Bygone Village’, Musical Director for the ‘Gerry Cottles Circus’ and show/keyboard player and cocktail pianist on a cruise ship.

In 1992 he joined the team of organists at the Blackpool Tower playing the famous Wurlitzer for dancing.

Damon Cox

DAMON COX is one of the newer names on the concert circuit and is perhaps best known to enthusiasts for presenting his weekly theatre organ programme, The Organist Encores, which you can enjoy online at www.organistencores.co.uk

Damon first became interested in the theatre organ when he heard a recording, whilst on a road trip, of the famous

Blackpool organist Reginald Dixon playing Tiger Rag, and that sparked his whole interest.

Damon has become a keen enthusiast and is out and about most weekends supporting a variety of organists and venues. He served for a period as the Southern District Secretary of the Cinema Organ Society, looking after the Troxy Wurlitzer and Clayhall Compton.

He is now part of the Theatre Organ Club team, where he is the Young Members Representative, a Trustee of the Wurlitzer Heritage Trust, where he helps to care for the Woking Wurlitzer, and, on top of all that, he helps with the Worthing Wurlitzer.

Damon now has a beautiful theatre pipe organ in his home, near Woking, based on the Dutch Standaart organ that was for many years in the home of Ricky Hart in Folkestone .  In Damon's care, it has had a replacement console from his friends at the Netherlands Organ Federation, originally installed in 1929 at the Colosseum in Rotterdam, and various pipework from a mix of makers, including Wurlitzer and even a rare Trumpet from the only UK installation by Italian maker, Barbieri, which was at the Regent in Leamington Spa. You are welcome to attend occasional concerts on this super instrument. Chat to Damon today or visit www.studio-standaart.co.uk for information.