W. Arundel Orchard

William Arundel Orchard OBE FRCM (13 April 1867–7 April 1961) was a British-born Australian organist, pianist, composer, conductor and music educator.

Orchard was born in London and educated privately. He attended the University of Durham, graduating Bachelor of Music (BMus) in 1893. In 1896 he left England for Perth, Western Australia, to take up a position as a choir director. He later worked in Hobart and New Zealand, before settling in Sydney in 1903. He was the founding conductor of the Sydney Symphony in 1908 and also conducted the Sydney Madrigal and Chamber Music Society from 1908 to 1915.

In 1916, Orchard began teaching at the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music, taking over as Director in 1923. He retired from the Conservatorium in 1934, but in 1935 established the first music degree course at the University of Tasmania, teaching it until 1938.

Orchard published "The Distant View" (1943) and "Music in Australia" (1952).

The University of Durham made him Doctor of Music (DMus) in 1928. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Music (FRCM) in 1931. In 1936, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

External links

* [http://nla.gov.au/nla.ms-ms5782 Papers at the National Library of Australia]