John Farnsworth Hall was the Chief Conductor of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra from 1955 – 1965.
ohn Farnsworth Hall (8 December 1899 – 15 June 1987[1]) was an Australian conductor and violinist.
Background
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]
Career
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] Conducting the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, featuring soprano Tatjana Hitrina, he covered Auber’s Fra Diavolo, Khachaturian’s Masquerade and others including “Knowest thou the Land”. It was broadcast on ABC radio at 9:15 pm Wednesday 11 November 1953.[7] 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.[8]
From 1954 he was conductor in residence of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.[9][10][11][12]
Later years
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 and grandchildren Brendan and Chapin Ayres.[1]