Piano/Organ Teacher
Anthony Halliday gives piano and organ recitals and concerto performances annually in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, England, Ireland and throughout Australasia. His playing is critically acclaimed by several internationally renowned conductors, Walter Süsskind hailed his performance of Beethoven’s fourth piano concerto as “magnificent”.
During his recent European tours he has performed in Festivals at St. Thomas’ Church Leipzig, Kölner Dom, Berlin, Neuss, Kleve, Paderdorn and Düsseldorf. He was also commissioned by the ancient City of Kleve to compose a large scale piano piece Symphony for Kleve which he premiered. In London he has performed in The Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral and St Paul’s Cathedral. In Rome he has performed at St Peter’s Basilica, for World Organ Week. His recent CD’S of Piano and organ music include works by Bach, Duruflé, Widor, and his own compositions.
He has had a long association with St. Francis Church as principal organist and as director of St. Joseph’s Collegium at St. Joseph’s West Brunswick.
He became the first artist outside Europe and America invited to give the opening recital in the International Bach Organ Festival in St. Thomas’ Church Leipzig, Germany the famous church where Bach was organist and is now buried. The Leipzig press described him as “One of the great international organists”. He has also performed in the Cologne Cathedral International Organ Festival and Festivals in Paderborn, Dusseldorf, and Kevelaer. During his 2015 tour the Bonn press described him as “Hercules of the keyboard”.
He has received numerous prizes including all the Fellowship prizes at the Royal College of Organists London, and the Silver Medal of The Worshipful Company of Musicians London. He won first prize playing Bartok’s virtuosic second piano concerto in the A.B.C. Commonwealth Concerto Competition just five years after beginning to learn piano.
In 2012 he collaborated with Sir Charles MacKerras in arranging MacKerras’ complex triple Fugue for eight pianos for Steinway celebrations at the Sydney Opera House. Anthony Halliday has also composed several commissioned works including large scale masses and motets for choir, orchestra and soloists and organ pieces Fantasy on Lutheran Chorales and Fantasy on Easter Hymns. He was recently commissioned to compose a cycle of symphonic orchestrations of traditional hymns of Ireland. His recent CD’s of piano music feature works by Händel, Beethoven, Liszt, Saint-Saëns and Shafton. He has recorded all 32 sonatas for pianoforte by Beethoven and recently performed from memory the complete 48 preludes and fugues of the Well Tempered Clavier by J. S Bach.
